Pressure (rewritten)
by ErinJordan
Summary: The pressure is building for Joe when finds himself in trouble after helping a friend who's being bullied in a way he never thought possible. The Hardy boys soon discover a disturbing secret. *Child Abuse is mention in this story. Let me know what you think. There are 2 sequels in the works:)
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone bet you didn't think you'd hear from me this soon. I want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing or following my last story Iola's Treasure you are all wonderful.

I've been thinking about doing a sequel to my first story Pressure. But before I do that I want to go back edit and fix my mistakes on the first story with the help of my beta reader elven buddy who is doing a wonderful job. She helped me with my last story. 

So what do you think? Would you like a squeal to Pressure?

The Hardy Boys story

Here is Pressure (rewritten) I only have 2 chapters so far

Abuse is mention in this story.

Chapter 1

* * *

"Stupid!"

"Good for nothing!"

"What's wrong with me?"

"I'm a good person!"

"I make good grades!"

"Why do my parents want me to be more like him?"

"He's so perfect! He has no weaknesses! He's the angel of the family!"

"Why can't I just be me?"

"I wish the pain would stop."

 _"Tomorrow's Monday...that means He will be there"._

"God… I feel sick again."

"Maybe Mom will let me stay home?"

"Right, like that'll happen."

"Why am I so afraid?"

"I fight bad guys all the time."

"I know I need to tell someone."

"Who… who could I tell?"

"I can't tell Dad."

"He'll just think I'm weak. Perhaps I am."

"Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow things will be different."

"Tomorrow I will not let him win."

"Tomorrow… the pain will stop."

With that, the blond boy splashed cold water onto his face to wash the tears away. He grabbed a towel off the rack and dried his face with it before stepping away from the bathroom mirror.

He unlocked the door that connected the bathroom to his brother's room. "Tomorrow, the pain will stop." He vowed and then turned off the light before going to bed.

* * *

8 o'clock the next morning found seventeen year old Joe Hardy walking anxiously through the halls of Bayport High School. The bell began to ring for the morning classes.

"What made me think I could handle this?" He grumbled, stomach in knots. He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. "I have to tell someone. It's the right thing to do."

"I'll tell Frank." He concluded after letting out a deep sigh as he reached his locker. He took out his History book along with a notebook for the class.

"Yes, that's what I'll do. Tell Frank."

"Tell me what?"

Joe spun around to find his year older brother standing right behind him. Suddenly his mind went blank.

"Joe, are you alright?" Frank asked, concerned for his brother.

He could see the nervousness in his little brother's blue eyes. He'd known that something was wrong; Joe hadn't been acting like himself all weekend. Frank had heard him pacing in his room at six o'clock this morning. Normally Frank had to pry him out of bed which made them 15 minutes late for school on a regular basis.

Frank had tried to get his brother to talk to him but all Joe would say was that he was just nervous about an oral presentation he had to give in front of the class this morning.

He knew that was a lie.

Joe always had to be the center of attention. He was always the one cracking jokes and making everyone laugh. The kid couldn't sit still for a long period of time; even in his sleep he had to keep moving.

"Frank, for the last time, I'm fine!" Joe snapped. "I told you, I'm just nervous about my report." He slammed his locker door making everyone around them jump. Then he stormed off, not giving Frank a chance to say anything.

Frank let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his dark hair. He vowed to find out what was going on with his little brother.

As he headed to his class he started thinking. What if someone was messing with him? He knew Joe was perfectly capable of defending himself; however that didn't stop Frank's big brother instincts from kicking in. If someone was messing with his little brother, they'd soon find out they were messing with the wrong person.

* * *

"I hate going off on Frank like that." Joe said after taking a breath to calm down. He then began to slow down his pace while clutching his books in his hands.

"Frank won't stop until he finds out the truth. But, I have to figure out how to take care of this problem on my own."

"What kind of detective would I be if I didn't? I'm the son of the famous Fenton Hardy for crying out loud!" In Joe's opinion, his father was the best detective around.

Then there was Frank, who took after their father in looks, height and everything else. Frank excelled at everything he did; school was only one example of that. Frank had brought home straight A's ever since the first grade.

"I bring home A's sometimes. I do like school, sometimes. I just get so bored, having to sit and learn things in a classroom all day. I rather learn things by doing them". That was one of the many things he loved about being a detective; getting to travel the world. It was fun learning about different cultures and meeting new people.

Joe was better at sports like football and baseball, basically anything that had to do with being outdoors. Frank however, was better at the academic stuff like debate, computers and chess.

The older Hardy boy was also the better detective in Joe's opinion. Frank was always coming to Joe's rescue. Joe sometimes felt like he was holding his brother back.

Frank could solve cases all on his own, only he'd never admit it. It was hard to live up to the two greatest men in Joe's life. He loved both his father and brother.

"I have to prove I can solve this problem all on my own…" Suddenly a tap on his shoulder startled Joe out of his thoughts. He turned around to find that it was his friend Henry Jacobs, a redheaded seventeen year old boy of average height with blue eyes and a body that could be described as "scrawny".

Henry was also in his history class. Joe knew the boy was a slow learner and some of the other students were always picking on him.

So Joe made it his mission to lookout for him; that is what he promised. Now he was beginning to regret that promise. Thinking, he could handle this problem on his own.

It had all started last Friday, after school. Joe had just left football practice and had gone to his locker to get a book he needed to get his homework done during the weekend. That's where he'd found Henry, sitting on the floor, back to the lockers crying.

Joe'd figured some of the students had been picking on him again. He'd asked Henry what was wrong. He was just stunned when Henry told him it was their history teacher Mr. Hayden.

Henry had met with their teacher for a tutoring session and been verbally abused.

Joe had immediately wanted to go to the school principle Mr. Ryan, but Henry was too afraid to come forward. He felt no one would believe him as it would be his word against Mr. Hayden's. Who would believe a student over a teacher?

So Joe had decided to get some proof of the alleged abuse, then he would talk to Frank. Together, the brothers would find a way to stop Mr. Hayden.

"Henry, are you okay?" Joe asked turning his attention back to his friend.

Henry shook his head no. He looked shamefully at the floor.

"What happened?"

Henry looked back up at Joe with tears rolling down his face. He replied in a small voice. "I don't understand my history assignment. So, I asked Mr. Hayden for some help."

"He said it was simple enough. I was just too… stupid… to figure it out." Henry rubbed his left arm. "H-he started yelling at me…then grabbed me and shoved me against the w-wall".

Joe was furious. This man had crossed a line. "Don't worry Henry; I'm going to put a stop to this, right now". With that, he went to find Mr. Hayden before classes started.

He found Mr. Hayden, a big burly man, sitting at his desk. "Mr. Hayden, we need to talk." Joe said as he approached the desk.

Mr. Hayden looked up from his lesson plan. "If this had to do with your assignment, I can't..."

"It has nothing to do with the assignment," Joe interrupted. "It's about what's going on between you and Henry Jacobs."

Joe could see a flash of anger in the man's dark eyes. Mr. Hayden narrowed his eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Henry asked you for help on the assignment. He told me you yelled at him, called him stupid, and then shoved him against a wall." Joe folded his arms to his chest. "I also know about the tutoring session you and Henry had last Friday. I'm telling you now, if you don't stop..."

"Are you threatening me?" Mr. Hayden fired back, his face red with anger, as he stood up to face the younger Hardy boy.

"Call it whatever you want. Cause, I'm going to put a stop to this abuse." Joe glared at the teacher. "Mr. Ryan might be very interested in hearing about these tutoring sessions".

Joe headed for the door. Mr. Hayden stepped in front of him, preventing him from leaving.

"If you tell anyone about this..." He snarled, before shoving Joe to the floor. "Your brother just might have an _accident_."

"Nobody threatens my brother!" Joe shouted, immediately springing to his feet and without thinking, shoving Mr. Hayden with such force that it sent him flying through the door and landing hard on the hallway floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Pressure Chapter 2

Joe was sitting in Principal Ryan's office; he was in trouble. They had had to take Mr. Hayden to the hospital by ambulance with a possible concussion. The whole school was talking about it.

"You really handled it." He berated himself.

Mr. Ryan, a tall man with dark hair and glasses, sat at his desk. "Joe…" He started to say. He was interrupted by a knock at the door. To Joe's relief it was Frank coming into the room. Joe practically flew into his big brother's arms.

Holding his brother, Frank could feel Joe's whole body shaking. "I'm so scared." Joe whispered into his ear.

Chet Morton, one of the Hardys' closest friends had told Frank the news. "Joe is in Mr. Ryan's office. He's in trouble for hitting a teacher."

As Frank had hurried towards the principal's office, he'd heard conflicting stories from the other students. But, he told himself, what they told him didn't matter, his job was to make sure Joe was okay. Joe would tell him what had really happened.

Frank whispered back, "I'm here. Everything will be okay."

Hearing that, Joe immediately began to calm down. That his big brother was here was the only reassurance Joe needed.

"Are Mom and Dad here yet?" Joe asked releasing Frank.

Right on cue, Fenton Hardy walked in with Laura beside him. Joe took after her in blonde hair and blue eyes.

Are you okay?" Laura rushed over to her son wrapping him in a hug. Staying silent Joe just nodded.

When Fenton's turn to hug his son came, he could feel the tension in Joe's whole body. Fenton wasn't sure if it was Joe's emotions or his reaction to the situation that was causing it. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay." Joe simply replied.

Principal Ryan stood to greet Fenton. "Mr. Hardy, thank you for coming. I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances."

Fenton shook the man's hand, "Yes, me too."

"Okay, if everyone will have a seat, we'll get right to it." Mr. Ryan said gesturing to the seats next to Joe. After everyone took their seats all eyes fell on Joe.

Mr. Ryan began by asking Joe, "Why don't you tell us your side?"

As he began to fidget nervously in his chair Joe asked after his teacher. "How is Mr. Hayden?"

"While he is unconscious, Mr. Hayden is, at least, stable".

Joe ran a hand nervously through his blond hair. Frank started rubbing Joe's back, "Tell us what happened."

Joe took a deep breath. "Last Friday, Mr. Hayden verbally abused a friend of mine from history class during a tutoring session." Joe heard a gasp from his mother. "You see my friend is kind of a slow learner. This morning he went to Mr. Hayden for help, because he didn't understand the assignment."

"After my friend left Mr. Hayden, he came to me, all upset. He said Mr. Hayden had yelled at him, called him stupid and then shoved him against the wall".

Principal Ryan raised an eyebrow at this and frowned. "Why didn't you just come to me after this happened?"

"My friend was afraid that nobody would believe him. It would be his word against Mr. Hayden's. I just needed proof before telling someone" Joe answered.

"Do you have proof?"

"No." Joe admitted, his disappointment written all over his face. "I thought Mr. Hayden would back off if someone was on to him."

"I was coming to see you, honest, but Mr. Hayden blocked the door so I could not leave. He got really angry with me…" Joe hesitated looking at Frank. "He shoved me to the floor."

"I didn't mean to hit him." Joe wiped his hand across his eyes to hide the tears that had formed. "I just reacted because he had threatened to hurt my brother if I told anyone."

Frank felt the rage building up inside of him. He suspected someone was messing with his brother. He never would've thought it'd be a teacher. Frank was furious that a teacher would do that to a student. Now that he'd hurt Frank's little brother, Mr. Hayden would definitely not be getting away with this.

Fenton was furious a teacher would abuse a student, and had threatened both of his sons. When I get through with this Mr. Hayden, there won't be anything left, Fenton silently promised himself.

"How long has Mr. Hayden been teaching here?" The detective asked, with an edge to his voice.

"Just under a year now," the principal answered.

"I'd like to see Mr. Hayden's file." Fenton insisted.

A look crossed Principal Ryan's face as if he'd just been majorly offended, before quickly disappearing. "I assure you Mr. Hardy we thoroughly screen our staff. We have never had any complaints about Mr. Hayden behaving inappropriately towards a student."

Why was he getting all defensive, Fenton wondered. Was it possible that he was lying about something?

"Have you seen Mr. Hayden?" Joe shot back incredulously. "He's a big man. He can intimidate anyone especially a student. Don't you even care that one of your staff members attacked a student?"

"Of course I care." Principal Ryan answered. "If you can get this friend of yours to come and talk to me, we can get this matter cleared up".

"I can't do that."

"Why is that?"

"I told you, he's afraid".

"Well, without hearing your friend's side of the story," the principal shook his head. "I'm sorry Joe, but right now it's your word against Mr. Hayden's".

"You think I'm making this up!" Joe said hotly.

"Joe would never make a false accusation like that". Frank spoke up in his brother's defense.

"My friend was right!" Joe stood up feeling his temper starting to rise. "You're already taking Mr. Hayden's side!" He stormed out of the office slamming the door with Frank right behind him.

"What's going to happen to Joe?" Laura demanded. She was just as angry as everyone else that someone'd hurt her baby.

"We have a strict policy against school violence." Principal Ryan began to explain. "The school board will have to decide if Joe's able to come back to school. Until then, Joe's suspended".

"What about Mr. Hayden?" Laura stood up feeling her own temper rising. "My son was just defending himself, his brother and his classmate against a bully!"

"Mrs. Hardy, that has yet to be proven..."

"I promise you Mr. Ryan it will be. Someone here is lying; I assure you it's not my son." Fenton stood up and taking his wife's hand, walked out of the office, his rage just barely contained. The door slammed shut behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. Here are my two new chapters. Again abuse is mentioned

Chapter 3 Pressure

"Frank would've handled the situation with Mr. Hayden a lot better. I should have asked for help. Now I've just made more trouble for Henry." Joe said to the reflection staring back at him.

He stepped out of the bathroom into his room where, to his surprise, he found Frank waiting for him.

"What is going on with you?" Frank demanded, his mind still whirling over everything he'd learned today.

He was still fuming over the thought of Mr. Hayden putting his hands on his brother. And the alleged abuse of another student, a friend of Joe's. Who was this friend? And why had Joe kept this from him? They never kept secrets from each other.

What was going on with his little brother? Frank began to wonder what else Joe was keeping from him.

"I had to prove I could handle the problem with Hayden." Joe spoke up, breaking into Frank's thoughts.

"Prove to whom?"

"To you and Dad," Joe said, sitting down on the edge of his bed looking down at his hands, "Mostly to myself. Everyone knows you're just like dad; you look and act just like him. It is hard living up to the two of you. Why do you have to be so good at everything?"

Tears started forming in Joe's blue eyes, "Today just proves that, I'll never be a good detective like you and Dad."

"You don't have to prove anything to us." Frank sat down next to Joe. "You are a good detective."

"Everyone wants me to be more like you." Joe complained, "Why is it you're always getting praised for things? One example is when you're bringing home straight A's."

"When I don't bring home all A's, Mom and Dad, even Aunt Gertrude are always lecturing me to do to better. I try so hard to make them happy, but it never seems to be enough."

Frank just sat on the bed listening in silence; he knew his little brother felt insecure about himself. He always tried to encourage Joe to do his best. "You're not the only one who feels he has to prove himself."

Joe looked up at his brother in surprise. "What do you have to prove?"

Frank sometimes admired Joe for his carefree way of life. There are times when he would be stuck indoors in his room on the computer or studying. Joe is always telling him it is okay to try new things and to have fun and to be more social.

"I am the go to person who fixes everyone's problems." Frank let out a heavy sigh, "I'm the one with all the facts and logic," He started counting off with his fingers, "to think and plan things out before following through."

"It's as if everyone expects me to have all the answers. Why do you think I study so hard? I'm killing myself to bring home all those straight A's. Sometimes I'd like to go with my gut feeling as you do."

"Joe, you're so much better at sports then I am; you can make friends so easily, and are never afraid to show your emotions."

"That is something that is hard for me." Frank ran a hand through his dark hair. "No one is perfect. We all have insecurities just like you. It is a lot of pressure to try to live up to everyone's expectation of you."

"I'm sorry." Joe apologized. "Do you forgive me for not telling you about Mr. Hayden?"

Frank stood up and smiled. "There is nothing to forgive. Just come and talk to me the next time you have a problem. We can work things out as a team. It might be a good idea to talk to Mom and Dad. Let them know how you feel."

"The same goes for you." Joe said hugging Frank in agreement. He felt so much better after talking to Frank.

Deep down Joe know he would have to have the same talk with his parents. Right now, he was just glad he worked things out with Frank. Now the brothers can work together to help Henry and prove Joe is innocent. Together the brothers will bring down Mr. Hayden.

"Who is this friend Hayden abused?" Frank asked getting back to the matter.

"Henry Jacobs." Joe answered.

"I've seen him around school He seems so I don't skittish like he's afraid of something." Frank acknowledged. "How well do you know him?"

"Just that he and his mother had to move here about a year ago."

"What do you mean by _had to_?"

"Henry didn't tell me that part." Joe shrugged his shoulders. "In fact I asked him once about his family and where he lived before he moved here. He got really quiet and wouldn't answer."

Frank thought that part was strange. "What do you two talk about?" he asked.

"Mostly school stuff, Henry gets kind of behind on his history assignments. I try to help him out." Joe pointed out. "I couldn't help him last Friday because I had football practice."

"I guess that's when he went to see Mr. Hayden for help." Joe grumbled. "Now I wish I had taken the time to help Henry. Maybe…"

"Joe, don't go blaming yourself." Frank said cutting him off. "We're helping Henry now. There's definitely something going on here".

"Can you tell me more about these tutoring sessions with Mr. Hayden?"

"From what Henry told me he gets help from the teachers in his other classes. He has the most trouble in history. He said Mr. Hayden agreed to meet with him for a tutoring session last Friday after school."

"Was Henry the only student in the room during this tutoring session?"

"I think so." Joe said, clenching his fists.

"What's Mr. Hayden like in the classroom during class?" Frank pressed on.

"He's friendly to everyone else."

"Even you?"

"Yeah…." Joe answered slowly, "sometimes."

"What do you mean by 'sometimes'?" Frank asked. He knew that Joe was still keeping something from him. Then a horrible thought entered his mind. "Or, maybe I should be asking you this; was today your first encounter with Hayden?"

Joe didn't answer, turning his head to face his bedroom window.

"Joe, has Mr. Hayden put his hands on you?" Frank demanded, folding his arms to his chest. He saw the hesitation his brother's eyes. "We don't keep secrets from each other, remember?"

When the silence began to stretch on with Joe still not answering him, Frank became even more concerned. "Joe, we're in the law enforcement business; Dad was a police officer for Pete's sake. You know as well as I do that if someone is hurting you, you should report it."

Joe turned back to Frank. He saw the serious look on his face. He sighed, took a deep breath and just spit it out. "No, it's not my first encounter with Hayden. He didn't put his hands on me. He threw a book at me, once, it only happened once."

"When did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago after football practice. I was turning in a paper that was late. Hayden got angry and, picking a book up off his desk, threw it at me".

"Why didn't you mention this when we were sitting in Mr. Ryan's office?" Frank was just dumbfounded by his brother's news. The fact that he'd kept this from him was unbelievable.

"It wasn't a big deal." Joe argued. "Besides, Mr. Ryan thinks I'm lying anyway, so it wouldn't have made a difference".

"Well, you didn't exactly tell him everything". Frank argued back. "It could've made a big difference for you and Henry. Hayden threw an object at you with the intent to hurt you, Abuse is abuse anyway you look at it."

"Does Hayden act different with Henry?"

"Now that you mention it," Joe said slowly while thinking hard about Frank's question. "Henry does act nervous when he is in class. He sits in the back of the class away from everybody. He pretty much keeps to himself."

"I always thought it was because he was avoiding some of the students who pick on him. He's always watching Mr. Hayden. Mr. Hayden never says anything to him."

"Could it be he's singling Henry out because he's a slow learner?" Frank said thinking out loud.

"I don't know."

"I'm going to go ask around tomorrow and see what I can find out from other students. Something is not right here. We need to find out more about Mr. Hayden."

"Don't expect help from Mr. Ryan." Joe grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "We already know whose side he is on."

Frank still couldn't understand why their principal got so defensive when his father had asked to see the file. "If only we can get a look at Hayden's file."

"Callie works as an assistant in the attendance office." He said thinking of his seventeen year old girlfriend.

"I'll bet she can help you find the file." Joe picking up on what his brother was suggesting.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Frank smiled at his brother.

"Just be careful, one Hardy in trouble is plenty enough", Joe expressed his concern.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Pressure

Joe woke up the next morning to sunlight peeking through his bedroom window. The clock on his nightstand read seven-thirty.

Frank had left early to pick Callie up before school in order to ask for her help in finding Hayden's file. He wanted so much to be at school today to help his big brother with his case. They were partners in crime solving.

Fenton had informed his sons last night about Mr. Ryan suspending Joe from school for hitting Mr. Hayden. The school board would have to decide whether he'd be allowed to go back to school.

"We have a strict policy against school violence," Joe imitated the principal.

He got out of bed and then headed for the bathroom to take a shower. "This has nothing to do with school violence. It is about a teacher abusing his authority over a student." He got into the shower, letting the hot water ease the tension from his shoulders.

Questions started running through his mind. Why was Mr. Ryan protecting Hayden? Was he afraid it would make him look bad to have a teacher abuse a student?

He started thinking about the conversation he'd had with Frank last night. "'Abuse is abuse whichever way you look at it'. I should've said something about Hayden's getting angry and throwing a book at me. It might've made a difference for Henry".

Thinking about Henry, Joe realized something; he wouldn't be at school to look out for his friend. He also thought about the students that pick on him? Since Joe couldn't be there, he'd sent the next best thing; his big brother.

They'd promised each other. Frank had promised that he'd keep an eye out for Henry while Joe assured his brother he wouldn't say anything to their father about Frank looking for Hayden's file.

After showering and getting dressed, Joe took the stairs to get to the kitchen. His heart started pounding when he saw Fenton was sitting at the table reading the morning paper and drinking coffee.

Fenton Hardy was a tall, good-looking, athletic middle-aged man. He was strong and fearless. Joe's father was someone who rarely lost his temper, except when it came to someone threatening his family.

Fenton Hardy was a man of outstanding character who was respected by friends and colleagues alike. A man who Joe so wanted to be like. Everything he and his brother had learned about crime solving had come from Fenton.

"Dad, can we talk?"

Fenton looked up from his paper to see Joe standing in front of him. He put down his paper and coffee giving his youngest son his full attention. "Yes, of course son."

Joe sat down across from his father unsure of where to start. Frank's words echoed at the back of his mind. "Let them know how you feel."

Joe took a deep breath and said the first thing that entered his mind. "I'm not Frank; I'll never be Frank. I'm proud of my brother; he works hard and has accomplished so much. I may never bring home the straight A's that Frank does".

"I think it's unfair that you, mom and Aunt Gertrude lecture me to do better the way you do. I try to do my best to make you happy but sometimes I feel like it'll never be enough".

Taking another deep breath Joe finished off, "I will just never be Frank". He felt better, lighter after getting all that off his chest. He tried to read the expression on his father's face. Was he angry? Disappointed?

Catching a glimpse of the headline on the front page of the newspaper Joe felt his heart sink to his stomach. "Son of Famous Detective Fenton Hardy Attacks Teacher"

That's it, he's disappointed in me, I've disgraced the Hardy name. Frank would never do that. Frank was the perfect son. Frank would have never gotten into a fight with a teacher. Frank would've asked for help. Maybe I am weak?

"I'm sorry." Joe's voice quivered; wiping the tears off of his face.

Joe stood up heading for the door. Quickly getting up, Fenton stepped in front of his son, preventing him from leaving the kitchen. It was déjà vu all over again, the only difference Joe thought, was that he wasn't being threatened and shoved to the floor.

Joe heard the words "I'm so sorry" followed by Fenton's strong arms wrapping him into a hug. He immediately fell into his father's embrace.

Then he heard crying! Why was his father crying? He never cried. He's always been so strong and fearless; it kind of scared him to hear his father cry.

"You're crying, you never cry." Joe said in disbelief.

"That's not true." Fenton said wiping the tears from his dark brown eyes, as he released his son. "I do cry, just not all the time." He could see the confusion on his son's face.

"When I have a difficult case that's not going well or my family's being threatened in some way, I take it very personally. What happened to you yesterday was my fault."

"How is what happened with Mr. Hayden your fault?" Joe asked, not understanding.

"You boys are so good at being detectives," Fenton replied, "Sometimes, I forget that you're still teenagers. Your mother is constantly reminding me of that."

"I try to be like Frank, he's so much like you; you're so good at everything you do". Joe said swallowing the lump in his throat. "Yesterday just proved I'll never be a good detective, like you."

"Frank reminded this morning that no one is perfect. We all make mistakes." Fenton said a slight grin on his face. "Yes, even the famous Fenton Hardy".

"You boys are growing up into fine young men". Fenton and Joe sat back down at the table. "There is so much I still need to teach you. For one thing; it's okay for men to cry. It shows you're human. When I was growing up my father taught me men never cry. It was a sign of weakness."

"He was hard to live with."

"Did he hit you?"

Fenton shook his head no. "He'd never show any kind of emotion. He'd never hug us or tell us he loved us".

"Is that why Aunt Gertrude is like she is?" Joe asked, thinking of his father's unmarried older sister. She was a sharp-tongued woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Under her tough exterior was a great deal of affection.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Fenton said thinking of his sister. He was glad she was away visiting friends.

"How come I don't remember him?"

"He died in a car accident when I was about your age."

"Is that why you never talk about him?" Joe asked curiously.

"Yes." Fenton replied.

"I never knew what love was, until I met your mother. Your mother taught me it was okay to express your feelings. Sometimes it's still hard for me to show emotions."

Fenton sighed wearily. "Frank and I are so much alike in so many ways. One thing, I regret passing on to him is being afraid to show emotion. You're so much like your mother." Fenton looked at Joe smiling.

"Does Frank know all of this?" Joe asked softly.

"Yes, we had this same conversation," Fenton responded. "Just before he left for school."

"I didn't mean to hit Mr. Hayden. He hurt my friend and had threatened to hurt Frank." Joe said, blue eyes almost pleading. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Yes, that part I believe." Fenton answered honestly. "However, I don't think I'm getting the whole story". He looked right at Joe and asked straight out, "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

Joe looked at his father, he knows, of course he knows, "Frank, told you didn't he?"

"He told me about what?" Fenton pressed on; yes he knew, but he needed to hear it from Joe.

Joe knew by the serious tone and the expression on his father's face he wasn't going to get away with it. "Mr. Hayden got angry and picking a book up off his desk he threw it at me. All I did was turn in a late paper," he confessed, letting out a breath.

"Dad, I'm used to having bad guys getting angry and threatening to hurt me. It comes with the territory of being a detective; it's no big deal".

Fenton just looked at Joe, blinking. That was not the response he'd expected to come out of his son's mouth. Fenton couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was he really going to have to have this conversation with his seventeen year old?

He really needed to straighten Joe on this. Had he really been so out of touch with their lives? Fenton took a moment to gather his thoughts, he know that what he was about to say was important and he had to get it right the first time around.

"Joe, it is a big deal, a _very_ big deal." He said working hard to keep his voice calm and steady, "I'm astounded that you would think otherwise. Abuse is abuse, no matter what it is whether it's physical, verbal, or sexual. To treat a person or animal with cruelty or violence especially regularly or repeated, is abuse."

"Throwing objects at another person is not able to handle things. A person who does that when they get angry is abusive. Yes, in our line of work you're going to encounter "bad guys" as you put it, who want to cause some kind of harm to you." Fenton quickly added his next point, "I don't you to be immune to it and think that it's no big deal."

"Mr. Hayden was wrong doing what he did, just as it was wrong of him to put his hands on you and your friend." Fenton went on, "You didn't say one word about this yesterday in Mr. Ryan's office. This happened a few weeks ago, correct?"

Joe huffed out, "Yes."

"You never had any intention of saying anything at all." Fenton added his last point. "I had to hear about it from your brother first."

"I'm sorry," Joe apologized. "I know I should've said something, I just thought what Hayden did to my friend was more important." Joe shook his head, "Besides, it wouldn't have mattered. Mr. Ryan wouldn't have believed me anyway."

Just like Frank, Fenton didn't understand why Mr. Ryan got so defensive when I asked to see the file? The man is the principal of the school where a claim has been made of a teacher abusing a student. His first priority is and should be the safety of the students. Every little detail needs to be looked into such as Hayden's file.

"The truth always matters, son". Fenton said, turning back to Joe. "If you tell the truth then everything else will fall into place".

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I understand." Joe agreed. He'd realized his mistake now; he definitely should've said something.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Fenton asked, a firm edge in his tone.

"I've told you everything."

"I know everything?"

"Yes, I told you everything."

"Good, now we have that settled." Fenton said, placing a hand on Joe's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "I want you to know something," he added on a lighter note, "I am proud of you."

A big smile slid across Joe's face. It brought tears to his eyes hearing it. His father was proud of him. "I am proud of you for standing up for your friend, and wanting to protect your brother."

"It takes a lot of courage to stand up to someone bigger than you. Just come and talk to me or your mother, the next time you have a problem. We may not always agree on things but regardless, we love you and are always here for you."

"I promise." Joe said quickly wiping the tears before hugging Fenton in agreement. He felt so much better!

"Now, tell me everything that happened with Mr. Hayden again." Fenton said, getting back to the matter at hand. "I also want to hear more about this friend of yours."

"You need to get back to school. A good detective needs to graduate high school."

Joe was glad to now have both his father and brother on board in this. Henry was going to get the help he needed in school. "His name is Henry Jacobs," he stopped to catch his breath for a moment. "It all started last Friday..."


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing my story. here is my new chapter I was going to download it tomorrow but, I decided to do it tonight sorry this a short one. I promise you things are going to pick up. a lot of exciting stuff. please review

Pressure Chapter 5

Frank stood in the hospital waiting room. He had a little time before picking up Callie. He couldn't explain the reason why, but he had to see for himself the kind of teacher who would abuse a student.

The hospital was not very busy. Visiting hours would be starting in a few minutes. He had to make this visit quick.

It didn't take long for him to find Hayden's room. He quietly slipped inside after making sure no one was around. Mr. Hayden was asleep in his bed with a white bandage around his head.

Frank quickly took in the burly man, the thought of him picking on someone like Henry Jacobs who was half his size sent rage coursing through his body. What was he doing to Henry? And how dare he lay hands on Joe.

It was taking everything he had not to wrap his hands around this man's neck. But, he had to stay in control for Joe and Henry's sake.

He saw that Hayden's medical chart was clipped to the bed's footboard. To his relief Hayden was still snoring away. He picked up the chart and began to read,

"Jack Michael Hayden, age 47, blah, blah, blah."

"Mild concussion, blah, blah, blah."

"Address: 119 south Chestnut St."

Then a name written on the line of next of kin caught Frank's eye. "Brother: Ryan Patrick Hayden."

"No, it can't be," Frank whispered in disbelief. "Principal Ryan and Mr. Hayden are brothers? Well, that would explain why he got all defensive when Dad asked to see that file."

Voices outside the door broke Frank out of his thoughts. Putting the chart back where he'd found it, he quickly slipped into the small bathroom.

"Good morning, Mr. Hayden." A male voice said coming into the room.

"Doctor," the teacher replied gruffly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, when can I get out of here?"

"I don't see any other complications," the doctor answered after a quick examination of his patient as well as a glance over the chart. "You'll be discharged at some point this morning".

A few minutes later, Frank heard the door close. He opened the bathroom door a crack. Hayden was the only one in the room. A sly grin came across his face. This was an opportunity he could not pass up.

"Good morning Mr. Hayden". Frank said nonchalantly as he walked out of the bathroom. He saw the startled look on the teacher's face. "Oh, I'm sorry." He asked pretending to care. "Did I scare you?"

"Who are you?" Hayden demanded.

"Frank Hardy, the guy you said would have an accident," Frank said as he walked over to lock the door. "If Joe Hardy tattled on you."

He walked over to the window to close the blinds. "There now we can have a little privacy". He turned around just in time to see Hayden's hand on the call button. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

"Why not?" Hayden's eyes narrowed.

"If you did that," Frank pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down as he continued to taunt the teacher. "We might get interrupted before we have our little chat."

"Get out!" Hayden ordered." Or..."

"You'll shove me against a wall." Frank leaned over, staring right at Hayden. "I hear you like to do that."

"I also heard that a student came to you yesterday morning for help on an assignment." Frank got right to the point. "You yelled at him and then verbally and physically assaulted him."

Hayden remained silent. So Frank went on, "I also heard about a tutoring session that you had with this student last Friday. You were verbally abusive then, too".

"I don't know what you're talking about." the teacher spoke up defensively. "The tutoring part yes I did, but I did not abuse anyone."

"Joe told me you got angry and threw a book at him a few weeks ago." Frank said. "All because he turned in a late paper."

"Your brother is lying. I did no such thing." Hayden argued the point. For a moment, Frank saw a flash of anger in the man's eyes before it disappeared, just as quickly as it had appeared.

That right there told Frank that the man was lying, even if Joe hadn't told him everything. However, he knew Joe was being honest about the claim.

"What exactly happened between the two of you yesterday?" Frank pressed on.

"We had a disagreement over the assignment. Your brother got angry and attacked me out of the blue." Hayden replied coolly. "Everybody knows about Joe's temper."

"Yes my brother has a temper. But he would never attack someone out of the blue like that, especially over a school assignment. The reason he lost his temper though was because you threatened to hurt me as well as actually hurt one of his friends".

"Do you have any proof to back up your accusations?" Hayden asked flat out.

Frank huffed wearily. "No."

"I didn't think so. It's your brother's word against mine. And I have witnesses who saw Joe attack me. That's want I told the police."

"The police?" Frank repeated, the words echoing in his head. He didn't like where this was going.

"That's right; I'm pressing charges against your brother for attacking me". Hayden said giving Frank an evil grin. "He's going to get everything he deserves."

"You son of a…" Frank lunged at the man, grabbing him by the throat. "I could kill you."

Hayden just glared up at him. "Go ahead kill me. It will be seen as you taking out your revenge on me for the sake of your brother."

Realizing that Hayden spoke the truth, Frank let go. He had to be smart about this; things had to be done the right way. Squeezing the life out of Hayden was not the kind of justice his father had taught him about. Justice should always be fought the legal way. Frank had to keep his cool and stay in control for Joe and Henry's sake.

"Now get out!" Hayden bellowed. "Before I have you arrested!"

"Alright, I'm leaving". Frank said keeping his voice even. "You won't get away with this". He headed for the door. "I will prove that you hurt my brother and his friend."

"I don't like bullies. I don't like you." He turned back to Hayden. "You hurt my brother. Now you get to deal with me. I promise you." With that he left, slamming the door closed behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter. This is the story I was meant to write as apposes to my first version of the story. Sorry I've been taking so long to update. it's just I've been working on the story plus working. It's about halfway done. Just waiting on a few chapters to be edited by my beta reader. I will post as soon as I can.

I think after reading this chapter the bringing of chapter 1 with Joe will make more since. what do you think?

Pressure chapter 6

Throughout the school day Frank kept getting stared at, and hearing various whispers from the other students. Any time he'd ask questions regarding Hayden they'd clam up or avoid the subject. They were more interested in hearing what really happened between Joe and his teacher, however, Frank refused to feed their curiosity.

Even some of the teachers were talking about what Joe'd done. What the heck was going on here? He and Joe had both grown up with half the school's population; at some point almost everyone had asked for their help at one thing or another and now, all of a sudden, they were turning against Joe.

Whenever Frank heard anyone talking about Hayden, the school would be describing him as some sort of angel. What made Frank sick were the words that they'd used to describe the man like, "a kind-hearted person, friendly, willing to help you out at the drop of a hat."

The editor of the morning paper had already decided that Joe was guilty, without even knowing the truth. The paper was describing Joe as a spoiled teenager, allowed to do whatever he wanted, solely because he was Fenton Hardy's son.

The brothers had never used their father's name for their own purposes. They had to work twice as hard to make a name for themselves in order to get what they wanted or needed.

One of the things both brothers wanted, more than anything, was to have friends. When they were younger, kids had thought having a detective as a father was cool, but, as they grew up and matured they'd realized that most kids didn't find it so cool anymore. It was hard not knowing who their true friends were.

The brothers wanted to only have friends that they could trust, people who'd accept them for who they were and not because of whom their father was. They wanted friends who would treat them like normal teenagers, and do normal teenage stuff.

Frank was grateful that he and Joe still had their close friends like Chet Morton, Biff Hooper, Tony Prito and Phil Cohen, even his girlfriend Callie Shaw.

During the course of the day every one of them expressed their concern for Joe, wanting to know what was going on and wanting to help in any way they could. Frank had agreed to meet with everyone at Prito's for pizza with Joe. He wanted them to know the truth of what really happened between Joe and Mr. Hayden.

Frank thought back to his visit with the teacher at the hospital early this morning. He could still picture his hands around the man's neck. He was just about ready to kill the man. Then his father's voice popped in his head telling him," Justice should be fought in a court of law." The Hardy's believed in that kind of justice. That was one of the most important rules Fenton had drilled into his boys. They were never to take justice into their own hands. Frank knew that if he'd done the unthinkable, it wouldn't have helped Joe and Henry's situation in any way. This whole thing with Hayden was driving him crazy.

Frank vowed to prove that Hayden did hurt Joe and Henry. Joe was not going to jail if he had anything to say about it. Who were these witnesses Hayden was talking about? Joe never mentioned anything about anyone else being in the room yesterday.

Callie Shaw tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she walked up to her boyfriend; she could see he had a lot on his mind, he looked lost in his thoughts and worry lines were all over his face.

"Frank? Are you alright?"

Frank felt Callie's hand slide into his. He ran his other hand through his dark brown hair. "I've failed him, Callie."

"Failed who?"

"Joe."

"Frank…" Callie started to say.

"He's my little brother. I'm supposed to look out for him. He was in trouble and..." Frank's voice trailed off.

Callie knew that Frank needed to vent his frustrations to someone, silently she squeezed his hand, letting him know she was listening. He told her everything; the alleged abuse that Joe and a friend had endured at Mr. Hayden's hands, Joe's reaction to it, ending with how Hayden had gotten angry and thrown a book a Joe.

"This happened just a few weeks ago and he didn't tell me, _me_." Frank said stopping at his locker. "Why wouldn't he tell me?"

"Maybe Joe felt embarrassed having to admit to both you and himself that he was afraid?" Callie suggested.

"Embarrassed?" Frank repeated as he knit his eyebrows together, looking quizzically at his girlfriend.

"You know how Joe is; he always acts all tough and not afraid of anything." Callie said, giving him another theory, "Think about this way; think about the safest place you can think of, like school for instance. From the time we're children we've always been taught that if someone was hurting us we needed to report it to a teacher or a family member.

"Joe had his guard down because he felt safe. He wasn't expecting a teacher to be a threat. Then when Mr. Hayden threw that book at him he got scared."

"Now he's playing it off in typical Joe Hardy fashion, seeming to say that it's no big deal".

"And then yesterday when Mr. Hayden threatened to hurt you." Callie replied looking into her boyfriend's eyes. "Well, that sent Joe into defensive mode to defend and protect you. He couldn't let anything bad happen to you. You're his big brother, you mean everything to him."

Frank thought about what Callie said. It made perfect sense. That sounded like Joe. He mentally began kicking himself for not realizing it sooner, but he was glad that Callie had put it into perspective for him.

"Thank you Callie." Frank said graciously, "I needed to hear that." Then he hit his locker out of frustration. "Joe means everything to me too. I would do anything for my little brother because I love him." Tears began to form in his eyes as he said, "How can I protect him, if he goes to jail?"

"What?" Callie gasped.

"Hayden is pressing charges against Joe." Frank commented angrily, and then wiped a tear that escaped his eye. "He claims to have witnesses who saw Joe hit him".

"What witnesses... wait," Callie cut herself of before whispering. "How do you know that? Did you go to the hospital to see Mr. Hayden?"

She concluded that was it when her boyfriend didn't answer. "Frank," Callie's green eyes widened. "Is that the errand you had to run this morning? And who is this friend of Joe's whom Mr. Hayden had allegedly abused."

Frank suddenly remembered his promise to Joe to check on Henry, he kissed Callie and whispered back, "I'll tell you later at Prito's. Right now I need to go find someone."

"What about Mr. Hayden's file?"

"I already found out all I need to know."

"Alright, please be careful." Callie said hugging Frank goodbye before leaving. "One Hardy brother in trouble is enough."

* * *

By three o'clock the bell had already rung, ending classes for the day. Most students had already left or gone to their extra-curricular activities, so the halls weren't all that crowded.

Henry Jacobs was at his locker gathering his books together for homework. He jumped when he felt a firm hand grip his shoulder.

"Hey Runt."

A cold shiver ran down Henry's spine. He turned around to find two senior boys standing there; eighteen year olds Johnny Stevens and Brett Cooley, glaring down at him.

"Y…You guys better leave me alone." Henry said shaking.

"What are you going to do?" Brett asked taunting the boy. He knocked Henry's books out of his hands sending them and papers flying all over the place. And then he started looking around as if searching for someone. "I don't see your boyfriend...err I mean, bodyguard anywhere".

"Oh that's right; Joe's been suspended." Brett said looking at Johnny. Then the two starting laughing as if sharing an inside joke. "Well, he's not here to save you."

All at once Johnny stopped laughing and grabbing Henry by the front of his shirt, slammed him against the lockers. "I'm only going to say this once. Keep your trap shut!"

"Stay away from the Hardy Brothers." Brett hissed. "If you know what..."

"Why is that?" Frank Hardy demanded stepping between them. He noticed Henry's pale face staring at the two bullies.

Just then Principal Ryan came around the corner. "Is everything alright gentlemen?" He asked sweeping his eyes across each of the boys.

"Everything is fine." Johnny and Brett said in unison before quickly walking away.

Then Principle Ryan's eyes fell on Henry. Frank saw the kid's face go from pale to ghostly white in seconds; his whole body was shaking. The one word that came to Frank's mind to describe the situation was: petrified. The boy was completely petrified.

There was definitely something going on here and Henry was the root of it all. Mr. Ryan probably knew that Henry was the student Hayden had allegedly abused both last Friday and then again yesterday. What the heck happened during that tutoring session, Frank wondered."

It was clear to Frank that Johnny Stevens and Bret Cooley might be involved in this too. Could they be Hayden's witnesses?

After Principal Ryan had left, Frank turned to Henry. "Are you okay?"

"Y...yeah, I'm fine." Henry said, bending down to pick up his books and other things off the floor.

"I'm Frank Hardy, Joe's brother."

Henry's eyes widened and he started backing away from him. "Y-you're going to beat me up are you?"

"No, I'm not going to hit you." Frank said shaking his head. He saw fear in the boy's eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"I wouldn't blame you if you did. You're his brother, you have every right to. Joe's in trouble because of me." Henry's bottom lip quivered as he looked up at Frank with tears in his eyes. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Henry, I am not going to hurt you, because it's wrong." Frank placed a hand gently on Henry's shoulder, "None of this is your fault. What Mr. Hayden did to you was wrong." He felt sorry for this kid, the victim of Hayden's abuse. Everyone was so caught up in the incident between Joe and Hayden. If they only knew the truth, it would make things a lot easier.

"Joe told me everything. I know about the tutoring session and what happened to you yesterday." Frank made a mental note to check out Johnny Stevens and Brett Cooley. "We're going to make sure Hayden never hurts you again."

"You can't stop him." Henry shook his head. "He never stops".

Frank just quirked an eyebrow while looking steadily at Henry. "What do you mean by that?"

Henry suddenly got all quiet. Frank had a feeling he knew more than he was telling. "Henry, is there something else going on? Has Mr. Hayden done anything else to you?"

Henry just remained quiet.

"Were Johnny or Brett in the classroom with you during the tutoring session?" Again all he was met with more silence. There was definitely something going on between Mr. Hayden and Henry.

"Henry, I want you to know you can trust me." Frank said calmly trying a different approach. "My father is Fenton Hardy, he is a detective. Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah, he's like a cop." Henry simply answered.

"Yes, that's right." Frank nodded. "You can trust him as well. He can stop Mr. Hayden from hurting you." He could almost see the wheels turning in Henry's head. It was like he was on the verge of saying something; it seemed like it was on the tip of his tongue. "We can go to my father right now, and you can tell him. He will make Mr. Hayden go away."

"I-I can't…" Henry said quickly gathering his books and rising to his feet. "I have to get home."

Frank sighed in defeat. He decided not to push him any farther. He stood up and offered the next best thing. "Would you like a ride home?"

Henry hesitated for a moment before nodding yes.

Approximately an hour later, Frank pulled the van up to a house in the slum part of town. He pulled up to a two story house on Chestnut St. idly noting that 116 was the address.

White paint was peeling off the walls; two windows were boarded up. The house was completely dark with no sign of life anywhere to be had. Frank had an uneasy feeling about this place. "Is this where you live?"

"Yeah, it's just me and my mom." Henry simply replied.

"Is she home?" Frank asked curiously, wondering if Henry's mother knew what was going on with her son?

"No, she works the grave yard shift at the Bayport Diner."

"So that means you're home alone?" Frank concluded alarmingly.

Yeah, but I'm used to it". Henry said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal. "Thanks for the ride home."

Frank just didn't feel right leaving Henry alone. Wait a minute! His mind flashed back to Hayden's medical file; the address on the chart said 119 Chestnut St. Frank's mind reeled in shock. Hayden lived on the same street and was just released from hospital this morning.

Joe would never forgive him, if anything happened to Henry. Then there were the two bullies, Johnny Stevens and Brett Cooley. Why was Henry petrified of Principal Ryan?

Frank tried to get Henry to open up to him again about Hayden. He even asked him about Principal Ryan, Johnny and Brett, hoping to get a response, to no avail.

Right now, Henry needed someone he could trust. That person seemed to be Joe. They had obviously formed a friendship. If anyone could get Henry to talk it would be Joe.

Henry just might be the key to proving Joe was innocent, Frank concluded, once more vowing to get to the bottom of the mess.

Henry started to climb out of the van. "Henry, wait a minute." He whirled back to Frank. "I'm meeting some friends at Prito's for pizza. Would you like to join us?"

"Will Joe be there?" Henry inquired, tilting his head inquisitively.

"Yes, he will."

Henry nodded yes, and then hopped back into the van.

For the first time since he met the kid Frank saw a smile on his face and excitement in his blue eyes. Obviously Joe had succeeded in having some positive effect on the kid; kind of becoming a pseudo big brother. It made Frank smile to think of Joe taking on that role.

Now he began missing his little brother. With that, Frank turned to Henry saying, "In fact let's go pick him up."


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you to everyone for reading and your wonderful reviews. I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update. Just know I am working on the story when I'm off work from my job. Please let me know how I'm doing? the more reviews I get the more I keep going :)

Pressure chapter 7

The Hardy brothers and Henry arrived at Prito's around 6pm. Earlier today at school Frank had asked his eighteen year old friend Tony Prito, who was the assistant manager of his family's restaurant to book the party room.

The boys entered the room where they found their friends already sitting around a large table eating pizza. They even had some upbeat music coming out of the speakers.

Frank greeted his friends. "You guys started the party without us."

"Well, of course not." Callie said, getting to her feet. She came up to Frank giving him a peck on the cheek. "The party just started now that you guys are here."

"Hey, Guys!" Phil Cohen welcomed his friends "Awesome party!"

"Yeah, I can't believe we're in the party room." Chet Morton said cheerfully before taking a bite of his third slice of pizza.

Tony was sitting next to Chet. He shook his head and said, "You have no idea how many shifts I had to agree to work to get us this room".

"Thank you Tony for doing this." Frank said graciously, coming over to shaking his friend's hand.

"Three large Prito's specials with the works, yes, thank you Tony." Joe said, eyeing the three mouth watering pizzas in the middle of the table. "It's good to know people with connections."

Everyone knew that Prito's specials were one of Joe's favorites. Tony was the only person Joe would allow to make it as it was only perfect in Joe's mind when he did. It was becoming a weekly ritual for him to visit the restaurant so he could indulge himself with one of his favorite treats.

"You're welcome, Joe," Tony chuckled lightly, "But, don't thank me. This whole thing was your brother's idea."

"I though you needed it after everything going on." Frank said, grinning sheepishly.

In truth, he was stalling for time before delivering the bad news. He hadn't yet built up the courage needed to tell Joe that Hayden was pressing charges. There was no way his brother was going to jail.

He knew Joe was going to freak out. Frank was doing a pretty good job of that himself; he had to force himself to stay calm, for Joe's sake. Right now he just wanted his brother to have fun and enjoy this time with his friends.

Joe just looked at Frank and smiled. "Thank you." He was deeply touched by this kind gesture. It meant a lot to him that he had his brother on his side. He regretted not telling Frank about Hayden's abuse. Things were going to be different now, now they had to focus on helping Henry.

"Well come on guys, grab some pizza before Chet eats it all," Tony teased.

"Ha… Ha… you're so funny Tony." Chet replied with a mouth full of pizza.

Henry hung back, staying quiet, unsure of how to fit in with this new group. "Everyone, this is Henry Jacobs," Joe said putting him arm around his shoulders making introductions. "He's a friend of mine and he will be joining us."

"Hey," Henry said shyly while giving the group a small wave hello.

"Hey, Henry, here you can sit next to me." Biff Hooper, Joe's best friend, spoke up. He pulled out an empty chair next to him.

Joe could see the hesitation written all over Henry's face. "Biff may look big and scary with all those muscles but really he's just a harmless goofball. You're with friends here. I promise nobody is going to hurt you."

Again he saw his friend hesitate.

"You know the best way to ward off bullies?" Joe added a piece of advice. "You need to surround yourself with friends and, judging by the look of my friends here; no bully would dare come near you".

Henry thought about this. Joe had never made fun of him like everyone else at school and as such, they'd become really good friends. He really wanted to have friends, and he trusted Joe, so maybe this was a start. He was going to give it a try.

"Okay." He said, and then sat down next to Biff.

Henry soon found out Joe was right. He couldn't believe how accepting Frank and Joe's friends were. Nobody made fun of him or said or did anything hurtful; that was the treatment he'd gotten used to from the other kids at school. Everyone here made him feel welcome, so he allowed himself to relax and enjoy the delicious pizza and his time with his new friends.

Everyone was laughing and joking around with each other and having fun. A smile spread across Henry's face as he witnessed the friendly banter between Frank and Joe; it was obvious that the two of them were really close.

He began to feel sad wishing he had a sibling, someone he could be close to. Someone who would share the burden of what he'd been enduring lately. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so lonely.

Maybe I can trust Frank and Joe with my secret? Would they still want to be my friends if they knew the truth? His whole body shook inwardly at the mere thought of telling them all.

Phil adjusted his glasses. "So tell us what is going on with Mr. Hayden?"

Henry felt his stomach drop down towards his feet as Joe began to tell his friends about what had happened with Hayden. "He got angry and shoved me to the ground. I didn't mean to hit him back. I just reacted, because he threatened to hurt Frank, if I told anyone."

"What was it that made him angry?" Biff asked. "I'm in that class, I've never seen him get mad or yell at anyone".

Frank glanced over at Henry and noted that he was looking out the window, a faraway expression on his face. Perhaps it's not just anyone, but a certain person? He wished he could get the kid to open up more.

What was Mr. Hayden doing to him? Was it possible that the fact that Henry was a slow learner was enough to single him out? Or was there more to it? Why was Henry so scared of Mr. Ryan? How were Johnny and Brett involved? Were they the witnesses Mr. Hayden was referring to? Frank's head was spinning; he had all these questions and no answers.

"I heard it was over a homework assignment." Phil added after taking a sip of his water. "That must have been some assignment."

"We had to choose a historical moment to write about. After that we had to give an oral report of what we learned to the class". Biff shrugged. "I'm not sure why it was such a big deal".

"It has nothing to do with the assignment," Joe glanced questioningly at Henry. Henry gulped nervously then nodded his okay. He continued. "Mr. Hayden verbally attacked Henry during a tutoring session last Friday."

He heard a gasp from somewhere around the table but he couldn't tell who it was from. "Then yesterday Henry went to see Mr. Hayden for some help on an assignment."

"The teacher yelled at him, called him stupid, and then shoved him against a wall. He even got angry and threw a book at me a few weeks ago all because I turned in a late paper."

Henry raised an eyebrow in surprise; this was the first time he'd heard about this. He cringed seeing everybody looking at him in shock as they all tried to process everything Joe'd said.

"Mr. Ryan is sticking up for the guy." Joe crossed his arms in front of his chest, grumbling, "I don't know why."

Callie spoke up. "Didn't Frank tell you about his errand this morning…?" She slapped her hand over her mouth when she saw Frank shaking his head at her, only just now realizing that Joe didn't know.

"What errand?" Joe turned to his brother. "Did you find Hayden's file?"

Frank had no other choice. He had to tell Joe now. Not looking at anyone in particular, Frank addressed his friends, "We'll be right back". Standing up he glanced over at his brother. "Joe, we need to talk".

Joe could see Frank was scared although he wasn't sure at what. His big brother must've found something out and chances are it wasn't good. Without a word, Joe got up and followed Frank out the door.

Once the brothers were outside Joe demanded, impatiently, "Frank, what's going on?"

Frank began by telling Joe about finding Johnny and, Brett with Henry. "I overheard Johnny ordering Henry to stay away from us and, to keep his mouth shut. Then Mr. Ryan suddenly shows up and the two scurry away like mice."

"You should've seen the look on Henry's face. It was pretty clear that he was more scared of Mr. Ryan than he was of the two bullies".

"I tried to get him to open up to me; he needs someone he can trust. That someone is you. Henry just might be the key to proving you're innocent." Frank pointed out.

"So you think all three of them are involved with Hayden in some way?" Joe repeated letting Frank's words sink in.

"I believe so."

"I also think that Henry's hiding more than he's telling us. Something else must've gone on during that tutoring session" Frank was stalling as long as he could. So he continued with telling Joe about taking Henry home.

"I just didn't feel right leaving Henry alone. Apparently, it's just him and his mom. She works the grave yard shift at the Bayport Diner."

"Okay, I'll talk to him." Joe agreed. "Did you find Hayden's file?" He suddenly remembered the reason they'd come outside.

And Joe says he's not a good detective, Frank snorted to himself, his stomach in knots. How do I tell him? How do I tell my little brother, he could go to jail? He couldn't stall any longer.

"Joe, there is something I need to tell you." Frank was about to answer when two police cars drove into the parking lot, followed by Fenton's car.

"Frank, what's going on? Why Dad is here with the police?" Joe asked hurriedly.

Fenton got out of his car and started making his way to them. Following close behind him was Con Riley a veteran officer of the Bayport Police Department and a good friend of the Hardy family. He was accompanied by another officer.

"Hayden was released from the hospital sometime this morning." Frank answered, finally finding his voice, after seeing the panicked look on his little brother's face. "He is pressing charges against you."

"What!?" Joe cried, trying to wrap his head around this bombshell.

"I'm sorry Joe." Con Riley replied. "I'm here to both charge you with assault and arrest you." He held the warrant out towards the brothers to show them.

There were times that Con truly hated his job. This was one such day. It seemed so unreal to him, as he'd never thought he'd have to arrest Joe Hardy. He'd watched the Hardy brothers grow up. They were good detectives, following in their father's footsteps as detectives. Along with their father the boys had helped the Bayport police out many times on different cases. The boys had worked their way to a very good reputation and name for themselves.

Fenton gently placed a hand on his younger son's shoulder; he could feel him shaking with fear. He silently cursed Hayden who was responsible for doing this to his son.

"Joe, look at me."

"Dad, what is this? I'm being arrested?" Joe was on the verge of hyperventilating and was close to full out panicking. "I haven't done anything." He added willing himself not to cry. "Okay...I'm sorry I didn't tell you... the whole truth! I'm sorry...I'm sorry! I don't want to go to jail!"

"Everything will be okay." Fenton said calmly touching the side of Joe's face trying to calm him down. Again he silently cursed Hayden for putting his son through this. "I'm trying to make this as easy on you as I can. Chief Collig sent Con here to you pick up."

Joe began to calm down hearing Fenton's voice. Even though he was scared to death, Joe felt better knowing that his father was going to handle this. He would get him out of this.

"Dad, don't do this here." Frank pleaded, seeing a crowd gathering by the window that included their friends. Joe was going to be humiliated enough, being arrested in front of his friends like a common criminal.

"Not like this."

"I don't like this any more than you do." Fenton said letting out a sigh of frustration. "We have to do it this way."

"Why?"

"Hayden has threatened to file a lawsuit against the Bayport Police Department if they showed Joe any favoritism."

 _"Favoritism!"_

"Hayden felt that with my ties to the police department. That Joe would get special treatment."

 _"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!"_ Frank exploded; he could no longer keep his rage inside. "I should've killed him..." He stopped himself from his outburst.

Joe's blue eyes widened, "Is that the errand Callie was talking about?"

"Yes." Frank confessed. He ran a hand through his hair as he felt all eyes on him.

Con, pretending to be deaf to the conversation, turned to his fellow officer. "Officer Baker, I think one of the tires on the car is a little low." The confused officer left to check the tire. "I better go help him." He said giving Fenton sometime with his sons.

"Thank you." Fenton nodded to Con, before turning his attention to Frank.

Frank said, looking at Joe. "I went to this hospital this morning to talk to Hayden. Hayden's side of all this, from what he told me is that you both had a disagreement over an assignment; you got angry and attacked him. He also told me he'd be pressing charges against you and that he has witnesses who saw you attack him. Before I left, he swore you'd get everything you deserve".

Frank quickly explained about having his hands, around Hayden's neck. "I just barely stopped myself from killing him". He looked at Fenton saying, "If I had, everything you'd taught us about justice would've been for nothing".

"This whole thing with Hayden was driving me crazy. I was angry with him for hurting Joe and Henry. I didn't want to make things worst for them."

"I did find out why Principal Ryan is covering for Hayden". The elder Hardy boy added, "They're brothers. I also found out that Hayden lives on the same street as Henry. That's another reason I didn't want to leave him alone."

"Well that explains it." Joe huffed.

"What I did was wrong. It's just that the thought of you going to jail scares me. I don't want to lose my little brother."

Fenton was surprised by his eldest son's behavior. Thank God Frank had not followed through on his actions. He understood Frank's feelings though; Frank had done what he had for his brother. It was clear to him that not only one, but both of his sons needed his attention; his priorities needed to shift around.

"I understand why you did what you did. Believe me, I feel the same way". He enfolded both of his sons in his arms. "It's important that we stay in control. Otherwise people like Hayden would win."

"We'll continue talking about this later, but right now we need to get Joe taken care of".

"I've already got Sam digging into Hayden's past". Fenton referred to his friend and partner. He was glad Sam had agreed to help him out; right now he needed to focus on Joe.

"I'll also have him check out Principal Ryan".

"You might want to add both Johnny Stevens and Brett Cooley to that list as well". Frank quickly explained their possible involvement with Hayden to his father.

"I'm sorry Fenton," Con said, feeling awful about the whole situation as he approached them. "Your time is up. I have to take Joe in."


	8. Chapter 8

Hope everyone's has had a Happy Easter. As a thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing, or just following the story I have a little Easter surprise of my own at the end. This is what happens when you review. Hope you like it :)

* * *

Chapter 8

Around 8 pm Frank found himself sitting with Officer Riley outside of the interrogation room at the police station.

He was still fuming. "I can't believe this! My little brother in here in handcuffs like a common criminal! Now he's been interrogated by Chief Collig for almost an hour!"

"Frank!" Con spoke up. "I understand you have every right to be angry." He didn't think he'd ever seen Frank this angry; usually he was calm and collected. Joe was the hot-headed one, it seemed as though the brothers had switched personalities for the day.

"You know the Chief is treating Joe with respect. He has your father in there as well as his lawyer."

"So, where's Hayden? Why aren't you interrogating him?" Standing up, Frank began to pace the floor as he continued to rant. "And what about Hayden's witnesses? Did you question them!? They're the reason Joe is here."

"Yes, we have."

"And…?"

"Their stories all match up. They were in the room at the time when Joe and Hayden were arguing about some assignment. They said they saw your brother hit him."

"Well, they're lying. Joe never told me about witnesses being in the room." Frank growled, and then ran a hand through his hair. "Who are the witnesses anyway?"

"You know I can't tell you that". Con shook his head. "I've already said too much".

"The man abused a student!" Frank exploded. He felt as if he was going to lose his mind. "He got angry and hit my brother with a book! All because of a late homework assignment! Who does that?!"

"We don't have any proof". Con argued back, he was starting to lose patience with the elder Hardy boy. "We checked out Hayden, and so far he has no criminal history. All we have to go on is your word."

"You know us." Frank spat. "You know Joe would never do anything like this."

"Do you think this had been easy on us?!" Con retorted.

"Yes, I do know you. You boys and your father have helped us out on a number of tough cases. We consider you our friends. That's what makes this job so hard. I didn't want to put handcuffs on Joe." He pulled a deep breath in to calm himself down. "Anymore than I wanted to put him in the back of my squad car; I hated every moment of it".

"And the Chief..." Con let out a bitter laugh. "He was trying so hard to be professional and do everything by the book; he could barely look your father in the eye when he told him we had a warrant out for Joe's arrest".

"I could tell he was trying so hard to be professional about it, but he couldn't hide the guilt on his face. We had no choice. We were just doing our job. Your father expected it knowing how hard it was for him as well as the Chief."

"The Chief sent me personally to pick up Joe to make things easy. I want you to know something, off the record". He looked straight at Frank as he continued, "We do believe Joe is telling the truth."

"I wish we could just wave a magic wand and suddenly make the evidence appear. We're doing the best we can to help you, without jeopardizing our jobs. The best place for Joe to be is right here. It would give us a better chance of finding the truth. Maybe Hayden will let his guard down or something."

"What about this friend of yours?" The officer asked, trying to keep Frank as well as himself calm. His heart went out to the boy. He knew the brothers had a very close bond; when separated they were simply miserable. The older Hardy brother was just having a little separation anxiety.

"His name is Henry Jacobs. He's too afraid to come forward; Joe's the only one he'll talk to. And that won't happen now because Joe's in jail." Frank sighed in defeat as he slumped back down into his chair.

"I'm sorry Con." Frank apologized, "I didn't mean to take my anger out on you. It's just I've never felt as helpless in my life as I do right now." He spoke with utter sadness in his voice. "It's like I'm one step away from losing Joe and there's nothing I can do about it".

Fenton stepped out of the interrogation room. "Is everything okay? We heard shouting out here."

"Yes, everything's fine." Con replied. Frank nodded in agreement. Fenton knew that wasn't true, but said nothing. Frank sat there stone faced, completely lost in his own world. The thought of being separated from his brother was weighing heavily on his mind.

"If only he would just cry." Fenton thought to himself. But Frank was fighting it, refusing to break down, so determined to put up a brave front for his little brother.

He was acting out of character and not like his normally level headed son. Anytime Joe got hurt or in trouble, Frank's judgment became impaired. He thought about Frank's actions at the hospital earlier; thank God he hadn't acted on his instincts by choking Hayden's life out of him.

Fenton knew that it was only a matter of time before those emotions came exploding out; he had to be ready for them.

"Dad?" Frank finally spoke up. He stood up and asked, "When are we getting Joe out of here?" He saw a grim look on his father's face and for a moment thought he was going to bust out in tears.

Just then their family friend and lawyer, Mr. Carl Sims, an athletic middle aged man, stepped out of the interrogation room, his brown leather briefcase in hand.

"Fenton, I'm going to do everything in my power to help Joe."

"Thank you Carl."

"Would you like me to explain what's going on to Frank?" Mr. Sims offered.

"No, you better let me." Fenton answered simply.

"Okay, I'll speak to you tomorrow." Mr. Sims replied before he left the police station.

This was not going to go well. "I'm afraid bail won't be set until tomorrow morning." Fenton calmly took a breath and said to Frank. "Joe will have to remain here." He was doing his best to fight the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.

"No." Frank gasped; he fell back against the wall as if someone just punched him in the stomach. "We can't leave Joe here locked up in a cell. He'll be scared to death. Dad, you know he will."

"I'm sorry, Son." Fenton said, sadly shaking his head. "There's nothing more we can do right now." This was killing him; he didn't want to leave his baby boy here. He didn't even know how he was going to tell Laura.

"Frank, I assure you Joe will be well taken care of. You have my word on it." Con offered the distraught teenager. "He'll be in a cell away from everyone else."

"He'll be alone." Frank argued. "That's even worse."

"Frank."

Frank looked up to see Joe standing in the doorway with Chief Collig next to him. "Are those things necessary?" He snapped, noticing the handcuffs on his brother's wrists. "Joe's not going to do anything." Joe was biting his lip, trying so hard to be brave. He couldn't cry here.

"Frank, take it easy..." Fenton started to reprimand his oldest son.

"It's okay Fenton," Chief Collig cut in. "Frank, I'm sorry, I..."

"I know you're just doing your job." Frank stood up and immediately grabbed Joe into a hug. "I don't want to lose my little brother," He said whispering in his ear, "I'm going to get you out of here. I promise." He refused to break down. No one was going to see him cry. Someone had to be the strong one here for Joe. It had to be him.

"Don't worry about me big brother. I can handle this". Joe choked back a sob, mustering up all his courage. Then he whispered back in Frank's ear, "Go check on Henry."

* * *

It was a sleepless night at the Hardy home. Frank tried to sleep but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was his little brother, lying in a jail cell scared and alone.

How had all this happened? All Joe'd been trying to do was stop a teacher abusing his friend. Hayden was so going to pay for this, Frank vowed. Soon he'd be the one behind bars.

"There has to be something on this guy." Frank said, sitting at his computer. After an hour of searching and no luck finding anything on Jack Hayden, Frank was left with more frustration than before. "What am I missing?"

He had to calm down and think. So he got up from his desk and began pacing the floor. Questions began whirling in his head. Why was Hayden singling Henry out? There had to be more going on than just the fact that Henry was a slow learner.

"Could it be that Hayden didn't like Henry hanging around Joe?" Frank started theorizing, "That has to be it. That's why Hayden got angry and throwing a book at Joe a few weeks ago. It had nothing with a late paper. He didn't want Joe finding about the abuse he'd been inflicting on Henry."

He continued to think. "Henry did tell Joe about the incident that'd happened last Friday. Yesterday he told Joe about the last time it'd happened, earlier in the day. After that, Joe went to confront Hayden. Hayden had no choice but to attack Joe, as well as threaten me in order to make sure Joe didn't blow the whistle on his little secret."

"Now the question is, did something else happen during the tutoring session last Friday?" Frank thought back to when he'd found Henry with the two bullies and the Principal.

"How were Johnny and Brett involved? Were they Hayden's witnesses? Henry had been on the verge of telling me. The problem is that Henry doesn't know me enough to trust me."

Frank felt proud that his brother was that person Henry had found that he could trust. Joe's the only one Henry will talk to. The problem is? He's in jail so he won't be talking to him for a while. Maybe he could try talking to Henry again?

He glanced at the clock on his nightstand that read 12:00 a.m. It was too late to talk to Henry now. "However...," Frank thought, "there might be someone who I can talk to, Henry's mother. Maybe she could help me talk to Henry?" He grabbed his jacket off the chair and headed out of his room.

Frank tiptoed past his parents' room, not wanting to disturb his mother. Laura had become visibly upset when Fenton had told her Joe had to spend the night in jail. "You find a way to get my baby home!" she'd cried before going to her bedroom.

"My little brother's coming home." Frank vowed. As he was heading down the hallway, he noticed the light in his father's office was on. He could hear something but wasn't sure what it was. Then he realized what it was.

Was his father crying?

Opening the door a crack, he peeked inside. Sure enough, Fenton Hardy was sitting at his desk crying. It was a little unsettling to see his father so upset; he'd always been so strong and fearless in every situation.

He started to close the door not wanting to disturb his father. "Frank," Fenton quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Dad, I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude". Frank felt a little uncomfortable, not really sure what to do in this situation. "Are you alright? I'm not used to seeing you cry".

"Yes, I'm fine." Fenton could see the concern written all over his son's face. "I'm just letting out my frustration over the situation with your brother".

"Dad, this isn't your fault". Frank said, coming into the office. "Hayden is to blame for all of this."

"That may be so, but the blame is still partly on my shoulders as well. I should've never exposed you two to my line of work at such a young age." Fenton disagreed. "You've seen things that no other kids your age should ever see."

"You boys are such good detectives. Maybe I need to let you just be teenagers for a while".

Frank took a seat across from his father. "Joe and I do it because we want to help people like Henry. We want to be able to help those who are too afraid to speak up and defend themselves."

"You taught us to fight for what is right. I believe that is what Joe was trying to do. His intentions were good; I just wish sometimes he would think with his head and not his heart. I still wish he would've told us about the book incident a few weeks ago."

'Yes, I do too." Fenton replied.

Frank quickly filled his father in on his theory about Joe and Hayden. "I was thinking along the same lines," Fenton agreed with his son. "I believe Hayden attacked Joe and threatened to hurt you because Joe was going to go to the authorities with what he knew about the abuse".

"I don't think we could stop being detectives, even if we wanted to. It's in our blood". Frank added, "I guess that's what makes Joe, Joe; at least he's not afraid to express his feelings".

'You're right about that," Fenton said letting out a heavy sigh, "Which is another thing we need to talk about. Frank, I don't want you to be afraid to express your emotions. It started that way with my father and I intended to break that cycle when it came to you boys".

"I'm sorry for my actions at the police station." Frank said shamefully, "and about what I almost did to Hayden at the hospital. I've never felt so angry in my life. All I could think about was how he'd hurt Joe. Then when he told he planned to press charges, I lost it. I wanted to..."

"...To kill him." Fenton said, finishing Frank's sentence. "What made you stop?"

"Your voice, reminding me that it was wrong. And that I shouldn't take justice into my hands". Frank answered. "I didn't want to make things even worse for Joe or Henry. This whole thing with Hayden is driving me crazy; what Joe did to Hayden was clearly in self defense".

"It's okay to be angry; the important thing is what you do with that anger. If I had killed him, it wouldn't have made me any better than those we help put away".

Hearing his eldest son say that caused a smile to slide across Fenton's face. "They are listening". Then he again turned serious. "Frank, I understand your anger regarding the situation with Joe. But you need to find a way to deal with it. Find yourself an outlet; if you need to cry then do it. There is no shame in crying; you can't keep things bottled up until you're ready to explode. It's not healthy".

"Dad," Frank said adamantly. "I'm not going to sit around feeling sorry for myself and bawl my eyes out while my little brother is sitting in jail. Joe comes first, now and for always. Besides, crying won't solve anything".

"Frank…"

The sound of the doorbell ringing cut off Fenton's response. "Who could that be at this hour?"

Just then, Laura entered the room, standing in the doorway. Her eyes were all red and puffy from crying, "Fenton, Sam is here."

Private investigator Sam Radley stepped into the office. "I'm sorry to be here so late". He said as he pulled a file folder out of his jacket pocket. "I have something you need to see."

"I did some digging," Sam said as he handed Fenton the file. "I spoke to a Chief Ronald Lansky of the Southport police department in New York. Two of his officers responded to a call about a year ago." He rubbed his tired eyes and sat down next to Frank and continued on, "of a man fitting Jack Hayden's description brutally beating a woman in an apartment."

"Was the man arrested?" Frank asked, reading the file. Finally, this could be the break in the case they'd been waiting for. It was a step closer to getting Joe out of jail and putting Hayden behind bars where he belonged.

"Unfortunately, no, the man was gone before the officers got there". Sam answered. "When they questioned the neighbors in the building they all claimed they didn't see or hear anything."

"More likely, they didn't want to get involved." Fenton said, thinking out loud.

"What about the women?" Laura spoke up.

"The woman was found unconscious on the floor, her face covered in blood and bruises. She was taken to the hospital where the doctor treating her discovered deep lacerations on her back. He determined that they had been made with either a belt or a leather strap".

"A few days later, after having woken up the woman refused to press charges on the man who'd attacked her. At some point that night, a nurse went to check on the woman, only to find her bed empty. She'd disappeared."

"What was her name?" Fenton asked.

"Cindy Hayden," Frank said reading the file. "Did they say who made the call?"

Sam, letting out a sigh, ran a hand through his sandy blond hair. "Her son made the call; he was found hiding in a closet. He disappeared as well."

(Flashback) Frank thought back to his conversation with Joe, _"Who is this friend Hayden abused?"_

 _"Henry Jacobs." Joe answered._

 _"I've seen him around school. He seems so...I don't know, skittish, like he's afraid of something"._ _Frank acknowledged. "How well do you know him?"_

 _"Just that he and his mother had to move here about a year ago."_

 _"What do you mean by_ _had to_ _?"_

 _"Henry didn't tell me that part." Joe shrugged his shoulders. "In fact I asked him once about his family and where he lived before he moved here. He got really quiet and wouldn't answer."_

"Could Cindy Hayden be Jack Hayden wife? If that's true", Frank thought out loud. "That would mean it's possible that Henry is their son". Suddenly he remembered what Joe had told him, "Go check on Henry".

"Oh God, Hayden doesn't live on the same block. He lives in Henry's house." Frank said hurriedly rising to his feet. "We need to go check on Henry now!"

"Not without me."

Everyone whirled around to see Joe Hardy standing in the doorway.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter. Sorry for the delay, here's my new chapter. Hope you like it.

Pressure Chapter 9

"Joe!" Laura exclaimed as she hurried over to give him a hug. Her baby was home and in her mind that was all that mattered. "Are you alright?" She asked, holding him at arm's length she got a good look at him.

"Yes, Mom, I'm fine." Joe said smiling to reassure her.

Next it was Frank's turn. He was grinning so wide it looked like his face would split in half. Walking over to his brother he wrapped his arms around him. "Little brother, I have no idea how you managed to get out, but I am so happy you're back".

"I thought I'd never hear myself say this, but, Joseph, what are you doing here? And why aren't you in jail?" Fenton rose to his feet. As shocked and happy as he was to have his son home, it was just…

"Chief Collig must be having kittens, right about now." Sam spoke up saying what Fenton was thinking. He was in complete shock, just like everyone else. This should be interesting.

Suddenly the telephone began ringing on Fenton's desk. "I'll give you one guess as to who that'll be." He sighed wearily as he pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to stave off a headache.

He immediately picked up the phone and answered, "Detective Hardy speaking, Chief.., Yes… I know. He's standing right here... In front of me as we speak." Fenton said looking right at Joe.

"Do you have any idea...?" The police chief began ranting so much and so loudly that Fenton had to pull the phone away from his ear.

"Dad, I'll explain everything later. Just give the Chief, Henry's address and I'll meet him there." Joe released his brother. "Right now we need to get to Henry." With that, he began to make his way to the door.

"Hold it!" Fenton ordered freezing Joe in his tracks.

"I knew that was way too easy." Joe said under his breath. Stifling a smile Frank just shook his head at his brother's antics. It was good to have him back.

As soon as the police chief was done with his rant Fenton quickly gave him that address and what was going on. "Yes, I will make sure that Joe is there." He kept his eyes on Joe as he hung up the telephone.

"Frank, you are not to let Joe out of your sight. Not even for a second. I don't care if you have to sit on him, or hog-tie him."

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Don't worry Dad," Frank answered. "I'm not letting him out of my sight ever." He wasn't going to let anyone take his little brother away from him again.

The men started to head out the door. "Fenton, wait." Laura's voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Laura, what's wrong?" Fenton asked with true concern in his voice.

""You know I never interfere with your work or any of your cases really. But, I think you need to let me come with you, this once".

"Why is that?"

"If Cindy Hayden is there she might feel comfortable talking to a woman. I do volunteer work at women's shelters and the Red Cross. So I know how to help someone involved in domestic violence."

"Alright, Laura you can come." Fenton readily agreed.

"Wow, we have all the Hardy's working on this case." Sam chuckled as he followed everyone out the door.

"Fenton, have I ever told you how much I love this family?"

* * *

"Okay, Joe, I can't take it anymore. How did you manage it?" Frank asked from behind the wheel of their black van. He could no longer contain himself, he had to know. "How did you get out of jail? Is the police station still standing? Do we need to make a run for it?" He glanced at Joe noting the big smirk on his face. "What?"

Joe laughed. "Seriously, Frank you've been watching way too many movies." He immediately stopped when he saw Frank wasn't laughing.

"I am serious Joe, this is not a joke. Do you realize how much trouble you're in? You were just arrested for the alleged assault on Hayden. Do we have to add fugitive to the list?" Frank stated. "Con was supposed to be watching you. How did you get past him?"

"Let's just say, I have a lot of experience in getting out of locked rooms." Joe said, turning away to look out the window.

"I don't like these secrets. Why do you feel you have to keep things from me?" Frank prompted. "I understand you were embarrassed to admit Hayden's abuse scared you. You don't always have to act tough and fearless".

Maybe I was just trying to act tough and fearless, just like my big brother". Joe argued back. "At the police station yesterday, you were trying so hard not to break down. It's okay if I break down but oh no, not you; you have to be the strong one".

"Frank, your problem is that you have to be in control all the time. But, you can't control how you feel. You need to learn how to let go."

"I guess I try to emulate everything you do because I love you; you're my big brother and I'll always look up to you". Joe turned back to face Frank. "However, I get confused, when you try to hide how you feel. How am I supposed to know how to act or feel, if you hide everything? How do I know when it's okay to cry or get angry or not, in various situations?"

Frank stayed silent, glancing quickly at Joe before turning his gaze back to the road.

""Okay, yes when Hayden threw that book at me, he did something to me. He took away my sense of security and that's what really scared me. He was nice to me at first; I had no reason not to trust him. Teachers wouldn't hurt their students, or so I thought." Joe kept going, "But boy, was I wrong about him! His behavior began to change when I started to hang out with Henry".

"He threw all my insecurities into my face. I began to doubt myself and wondered how I hadn't seen it coming. Maybe I'm not as of a good detective as I thought like you and Dad. And maybe I'm not capable of getting all A's in school like you do."

"Maybe that's how abuse starts. First they get into your head, break you down mentally and physically, and then you find you're trapped with no way out. Before you know it things get physical".

"That's probably what Henry is going through. He just doesn't have a way out."

Finally Frank spoke up after processing his brother's words, "I'm sorry that happened to you Joe. Everyone has a right to feel and be safe. Taking that away is wrong".

"As for crying, you're right; losing control does scare me." Frank frowned. "If I were to let go; I might not be able to stop myself". He felt as though he was going to tear up now. Feeling hypocritical, he quickly changed the subject before that happened.

"I do have a theory about our Mr. Hayden. You mentioned his behavior changing towards you is correct. I don't think he was thrilled about the idea of Henry hanging around you. He didn't want anyone to know about his dirty secret. Then you went to confront Hayden about the tutoring session last Friday and the abuse that took place yesterday. He knew right then you knew, and that's why he attacked you and had threatened to hurt me."

"That's why his brother Ryan Hayden is protecting him. And, I'm almost certain Johnny Stevens and Brett Cooley are the witnesses. "

"How can that be?" Joe asked. The classroom was empty; Hayden and I were the only two in there".

"I don't know. Maybe he threatened them or something?" Frank was still wrapping his head around the next part. "There might be a possibility that Henry is the man's son. The only thing we're missing now is proof".

"I overheard you guys talking about that in Dad's office." Joe nodded slowly. "Frank, what do you suppose happened in that tutoring session?" He said, stumbling on the last word. "We both know something else was going on."

"I wish I knew little brother." Frank replied. He'd been thinking about that too. "The only person who could tell us that is Henry." The boys fell silent; each thinking about their friend.

It was nearing one in the morning by the time Frank pulled up to Henry's home. Just like before, he had an uneasy feeling about this place.

Joe started to get out of the van but Frank pulled him back inside. "Joe, we need to wait for the police to secure the area."

"We can't wait." Joe stated. "I can't explain it, but, when I was sitting in my cell…. I had this gut feeling that something was wrong. That's why I escaped the police station. I wouldn't have done it, normally, but I had no choice; Henry's in trouble."

"Frank, please… Henry can't wait."

Frank looked into his brother's pleading blue eyes. He'd always trusted Joe's intuition, and Joe had always turned out to be right. He knew without a doubt Joe was telling the truth. He calmly took a breath, "Alright, but you don't leave my side for a second. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you," Joe agreed, as he stepped out of the van, "I just can't promise you. Now come on, let's go."

Frank sighed and shook his head. "It's good to have you back." He could hear the sounds of sirens in the distance.

With flashlights in their hands the brothers quietly stepped up to the front porch, being careful not to tread on any loose boards; there were no lights on in the home. Frank tried to look inside a window, but couldn't see a thing due to a board nailed across it.

Frank aimed the beam of his flashlight onto the house's address, 116, which hung on a nail. He discovered a missing nail on the number 6. Straightening the number so that is was right side up, Frank turned it into a 9. He began to mentally beat himself up, for not realizing it sooner. Hayden didn't live on the same street, he lived here.

"Frank, the front door is unlocked." Joe whispered and began opening the door.

"Joe, wait…" Frank started to say, his heart thumping out of his chest. He didn't know what or who was waiting inside. But it was too late; Joe'd already darted inside and found a light switch.

The boys gasped in horror at the sight of the living room. The place was completely trashed; broken glass was strewn everywhere from a turned over coffee table. The most startling part was the blood splattered all over the couch and walls.

"You don't think..." Joe's voice trailed off into a whisper as his heart started pounding. A trail of blood led into the kitchen; with trepidation the boys followed the trail until their eyes landed on Henry's seemingly lifeless body.

Chief Collig and Con Riley suddenly entered the room, several other officers following them; at the back of the crowd stood Fenton, Sam and Laura.

"Oh my heavens!" Laura cried as she grabbed Fenton's arm. Everyone was completely horrified by the sight in front of them.

Suddenly they heard the most heart wrenching scream coming from the kitchen, "NOOOOO!"

"That's Joe." Laura acknowledged her son's voice. She felt Fenton slide an arm around her shoulders. "Stay close to me, Laura" he instructed as everyone ran into the kitchen.

Immediately Fenton's heart dropped, when he saw his youngest hovering over Henry's lifeless body.

"We're too late, Frank! Look at him! Look at what that..." Angry tears started to roll down Joe's face as he started to choke up, "monster did to him!"

"Joe, come on. You have to get off of him." Frank pleaded trying to pull Joe off his friend. "Let's take a walk outside."

"No! I'm not leaving him!" Joe cried out. He hovered protectively over Henry, like a guard dog ready to defend its owner.

"Fenton, we need to get Joe out of the way so the paramedics can help Henry." Laura said with urgency. She was doing her best not to panic.

"Joe." Fenton knelt next to his distraught son, placing two fingers under Henry's neck, "He has a weak pulse. Joe, Henry's alive."

"We're too late Dad! We're too late!"

Pure rage filled the detective's body as he took in the condition of this poor boy who wasn't much older than Joe. Henry's face was covered in blood and bruises with one eye swollen shut. He saw the kid's chest slowly rise up and down as small grunts of pain escaped his mouth.

It was a miracle this boy was still alive. Fenton was more determined than ever to get Hayden. The man was going to pay dearly for this.

Fenton quickly turned his attention back to Joe. "Son, I know you're upset but you need to take a minute to calm down. Let's step outside while the paramedics help Henry; they need to take him to the hospital so the doctors can start helping him get better".

When they saw Joe wasn't going to comply Fenton and Frank had no other choice but to carefully pry him off of Henry. They managed to get him on his feet and escorted him outside. Laura followed behind them.

"Officer Riley!" Chief Collig began barking orders after the Hardy's had left the room, "I want this house searched from top to bottom, inside and out, for any clues. Have forensics take blood samples from the couch and walls. Check for fingerprints, anything that's going to help us find the animal that did this to that boy. Also, start questioning the neighbors... see if anyone saw or heard anything. The Bayport Police will not rest until we get Hayden."

"Yes, sir!" Officer Riley responded as he and his fellow officers left to carry out Chief Collig's orders. The paramedics moved in to check out Henry's injuries.

Sam joined in with the search as well; he knew Fenton had his hands full dealing with Joe at the moment.

The police chief stepped out of the house and onto the front porch where he found the Hardy family trying to calm their youngest member. "It's all... my all my fault! I should've told! I should've told!"

"Joe, honey, please calm down." Laura pleaded with him.

"Joe, you've got to calm down." Fenton tried to reason with him. "This is not your fault. The only one to blame for this is Hayden; not you".

"Little brother, listen to me." Frank placed his hands firmly on his brothers shoulders, forcing Joe to look at him. "In a few minutes the paramedics will be bringing Henry out. It won't help things if he sees you're upset; he's going to be scared and he's going to need you".

Joe took a breath to calm down. Frank was right he had to stay calm for Henry's sake. He stood as calm as he could with his parents and brother as the paramedics brought Henry out in a stretcher.

"Is Henry going to be alright?" Joe asked one of the paramedics anxiously.

The paramedic saw the worry in the boy's eyes. "All I can tell you is that he's in pretty bad shape. We won't know the extent of his injuries until we get him to the hospital". With that the paramedic hopped into the ambulance and with the siren wailing, they were gone.

Chief Collig made his way over to the Hardy's. "Chief, I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble for you. I promise...I'll turn myself in...I'll go back to jail...whatever". Joe begged in a quivering voice. "Please, I need to be at the hospital with Henry."

"Chief, I promise you," Frank came instantly to Joe's defense. "Joe will never leave my side."

Chief Collig had watched the Hardy brothers grow up. They were good detectives, clearly following in their father's footsteps. They'd helped his department out on a number of tough cases.

The boys had built up a good reputation for themselves. Even though he'd butted with the youngest Hardy a time or two. Deep down the Chief had always admired the brothers for their passion when it came to crime solving. He looked at Fenton before turning back to Joe.

"Alright, Joe I'll let you go. Con will go with you. You are not to leave the hospital".

"Thank you, Chief." Fenton said with gratitude.

"Thank you Chief and I won't." Joe said, as he and Frank got into Officer Riley's car.

"Joe, now is the time for us to be strong and fearless". Frank put his arm around his brother's shoulders as they sat in the back of the squad car. "Henry's counting on us. So start thinking like a detective, Joe. We've got work to do, to find Hayden and make him pay."

"For Henry."

"For Henry."


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing my story. I'm doing my best to give you updates, between my days off. Here's my new chapter again abuse is mentioned. please let me know what you think?

Pressure Chapter 10

It was around three o'clock in the morning as everyone anxiously sat around the hospital waiting room, waiting to hear anything on Henry. Fenton Hardy had just gotten off the phone with Sam; his partner had stayed at the crime scene to give the police any assistance he could with the search for Hayden.

Hayden's whereabouts were still unknown. Having questioned several of the neighbors, the police had learned that the sound of crying and yelling, as well as objects being thrown around had been loud enough for the neighbors to hear it. The episodes normally lasted anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.

One of the neighbors had reported seeing a man who fit Hayden's description come running out of the house last night. The man had hopped into a dark colored Toyota and taken off. That was the good news; the bad news was that the neighbor hadn't been able to get the license plate number. Additionally, the car had been found abandoned by the side of the road a mile out of town. But on the plus side, finding the car meant they had the plate number.

Chief Collig had his officers scouring the city for Hayden. Sam had decided to help out and had promised Fenton he'd keep him updated on their progress.

Laura had made a trip down to the hospital cafeteria, bringing back coffee and sandwiches; however nobody ate, too concerned about Henry to eat.

Con was standing nearby, leaning against a wall, keeping an eye on Joe as the Chief had ordered him to do. He'd gotten to know Henry Jacobs quite well through Joe. Joe had explained Henry's situation to him; Henry was a slow learner and as a result was always getting picked on by his classmates. Con was most impressed by how Joe had taken it upon himself to watch out for his friend and help him out with his assignments so Henry wouldn't get behind in his classes.

Joe had felt guilty when he hadn't been able to help his friend out because of football practice. Henry had had no choice but to go to his teacher for help but rather than getting the help he'd needed he'd been verbally attacked.

The following Monday Henry had been both verbally and physically attacked by this teacher. Joe had originally gone to confront his teacher in defense of his friend, but ended up being a victim of the abuse himself. In dealing with the case; there was a possibility that Hayden was Henry's father. There was more going on between Henry and his teacher; Con was certain enough of it to want to bet money on it.

The officer still couldn't believe that Joe was the one facing possible jail time; all because of Hayden and his so-called witnesses.

"Joe, would you please sit down?" Frank piped in breaking into Con's thoughts. Joe was driving him crazy with his endless pacing.

Two hours had passed since Joe and his brother had found Henry lying on the kitchen floor. No matter how much he tried, Joe just couldn't get the image of Henry's bruised face with an eye swollen shut out of his head; he could still hear him wheezing.

"We've been waiting here forever." Joe finally plopped into a chair next to Frank. "I wish someone would come and tell us something, anything!"

"I'm sure we'll know something soon." Frank said, rubbing Joe's back, trying to comfort him the best way he knew how.

Just then a middle-aged doctor with wispy white hair and about average height, walked into the room wearing green scrubs. "Is there any family here for a Henry Jacobs?"

"I'm Henry's mother!"

Everyone looked up as a slender woman came running into the waiting room, clutching the strap of a tattered brown purse at her side. She was wearing a light blue waitress uniform and her disheveled red hair was pulled back into a bun.

She looked cautiously at Con before approaching the doctor. "What's going on? Where is he, doctor? Where's Henry?"

"I'm Dr. Bryce; I've been treating your son from the moment he was brought in. As of right now Henry is in stable condition. However he's in pretty bad shape."

"Is he awake?" Joe asked anxiously.

"Yes, he's awake. However, he hasn't spoken. We tried to get him to talk by asking various questions but it's useless; he won't answer us".

"Take me to him. I want to see my son." The woman persisted.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that just yet." The doctor answered just as Fenton and Con Riley reached the group. "I'll let Henry know you're here; if he wants to see you it'll have to be a supervised visit".

"Supervised!" the woman's cheeks became red as her eyes flooded with anger. "You take me to see my son, now!"

"As a physician, I am required by law to report abuse."

"Abuse, I don't know what…?"

The doctor spoke candidly. "Ma'am, your son looks as if he went a few rounds with a prizefighter and lost. He has two broken ribs, his face is swollen and bruised, he's got a busted lip and two of his front teeth have been knocked out. Not to mention that his left eye is completely swollen shut. There's a countless number of bruises all over his body as well as deep lacerations all over his back and torso; these wounds are on top of old scars".

Hearing a gasp from Laura he paused a moment to let that sink in before continuing his report. "My guess is that those injuries, new and old alike are from a belt or a leather strap. I have him on antibiotics to fight off any infection."

"Quite frankly, it is a miracle that the boy is still alive ..." Dr. Bryce shook his head. He was trying his best to be professional but he was finding it hard to keep his anger out of his voice. "Being a doctor I have no clue as to how anyone could do that to another human being". He glanced at Fenton and Con. "I hope you catch the animal responsible for hurting that kid." With that he left the room to go check on his patient.

"You can't keep my son from me! Do you hear me doctor?!" Henry's mother demanded.

Joe was shocked by the woman's reaction; this wasn't the reaction he'd expected. She didn't seem at all bothered by her son's horrid condition. Glancing at his mom he could see the tears running down her face; that was a mother's normal reaction. His mother had more concern for Henry than did Henry's own mother.

He knew his mother would be in pieces if it were him and Frank that were hurt. Joe noted the look of murder in his brother and father's eyes. Con's determined look told him that Hayden was going to pay dearly for what he'd done to Henry. There was not one tear in Mrs. Jacobs's eyes; and the impassive look on her face told Joe that she didn't give a damn about her son.

Taking a deep breath, Fenton spoke in as calm and steady a voice as possible. "Mrs. Jacobs, I'm Detective Fenton Hardy and this is Officer Riley of the Bayport Police".

"I don't care who you are. You're not taking my son from me." The woman hissed, glaring at them.

"We can and will if we suspect abuse". Officer Riley said in a stern voice. "We need to ask you a few questions."

"You are Cindy Hayden, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"Is Jack Hayden your husband?"

"Yes."

"Where we can find him?"

"I don't know." Cindy said abruptly before sitting down and starting to cry.

"Mrs. Jacobs, we're here to help both you and your son." Laura said, a soothing tone to her voice as she came over to help comfort the woman. "We don't want him hurting you."

"I don't know where Jack is." She cried, she took a tissue out of her purse and began wiping tears from her eyes.

"Is Jack Hayden Henry's father?" Fenton asked, needing the confirmation although his gut told him it was true. The woman chooses now to shed a tear.

"Yes, he is." Cindy nodded. She said heatedly. "I know what you're all thinking. You think he's some kind of monster. Well he's not now. He wasn't always like this."

"Jack was so excited the day Henry was born. He had a strong, healthy son." Tears started to stream down her face. "Things began to change when Henry started middle school. He wasn't picking up the things he was being taught like the other kids were. He was always being teased. When I'd meet with his teachers they told me that Henry may have some form of dyslexia".

"Dyslexia is a specific learning disability in reading." Laura informed her. "Children with dyslexia have trouble reading accurately and fluently. They may also have difficulty with reading comprehension, spelling and writing. There are ways to help your son with that. He'd have to be evaluated first in order for us to know the best way to help him".

"Yes, I'm aware of all that". Cindy stifled another sob. She wiped her face with a tissue. "It was a big let down for Jack when he found out Henry had this learning problem. He was embarrassed by it and that made him angry. He started to hit and blame me for having such a stupid kid. He said he was going to be the one to tutor Henry and fix the problem himself."

"You see Jack was a very popular teacher at the Southport High School where he taught. He was very well liked with his students and as well as the other teachers."

"Every night he would work with Henry on his homework. It usually ended with Jack yelling and Henry crying". She paused for a moment to wipe away more tears.

"By the time Henry entered his junior year, things were getting worse. He'd come home with a busted lip or a black eye; it always seemed to make Jack even angrier. He'd tell Henry to toughen up and start acting like a man or he'd be sorry".

Joe listened in disgust, he hated the thought of his friend being treated like that. Henry didn't have a chance at school or at home. He was getting hit from both sides.

"Did you ever leave him?" Laura asked, she felt sorry for the woman sitting beside her.

"Yes, several times although it never did any good as Jack would always find us." Cindy Jacobs answered. "Promising things would be better, which they did for a while."

"Then about a year ago I came home to our apartment right after work and heard a commotion coming from Henry's bedroom." The mother's voice quivered out, "I found my son lying shirtless on his bed, hands griping his bedpost; he was just staring at the wall, trying hard to stop the tears that ran down his face".

"Jack was standing over him, using a belt to whip him repeatedly, yelling, "Don't you cry! Take it like a man! No son of mine is going to be weak and stupid!"

"I screamed and begged Jack to stop." She gulped, attempting to stifle more sobs. "Then he started on me. I must've passed out at some point because the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital. A few weeks later I took Henry with me and snuck out of the house. I changed our name to Jacobs, my mother's maiden name and moved here to Bayport".

"But it didn't work. Like I said Jack always finds us."

"Why didn't you press charges on him, then?" Fenton asked. His eyes blazed in anger after hearing about the hell Henry'd endured at his father's hands. Every fiber of his being wanted to tear Hayden apart; he still hadn't forgotten all the pain he'd been putting Joe in and still was.

After a moment's thought Frank realized that all of what they were hearing was in the police report Sam had given them; he was absolutely disgusted, he couldn't believe a parent could treat their child that way. He vowed again to make the man pay for hurting Joe and Henry.

The woman gave no answer.

"Mrs. Jacobs, did Henry tell you about what was happening at school?" Con pressed on, he needed all the information he could get. He wanted to get Hayden so badly; he couldn't wait to slap a pair of handcuffs on him.

"Actually, Officer, I'd prefer it if you called me Mrs. Hayden." The mother spoke in all seriousness. "And yes Henry did tell me about a boy named Joe. He said Joe was really nice to him. He never made fun of him like the other kids."

Joe stood up and went over to her. "I'm Joe Hardy..."

The woman's eyes widened suddenly as she went on the defensive. "You're the boy who attacked Jack!" She pulled away from Laura, glaring hatefully at Joe. "Why aren't you in jail?"

Frank and his father were at Joe's side immediately. Laura was also on her feet. "Mrs. Hayden, my son did not attack your husband. Yes, Joe is in trouble but only for defending your son against that monster". She said defending her son. "He hurt my child as well."

"Do you know anything about Hayden's verbal abuse of Henry during a tutoring session last Friday?" Fenton inquired.

"We suspect something else happened during that tutoring session." Frank folded his arms across his chest, doing his best to appear menacing. "But Henry won't tell us. Perhaps you can shed some light on that".

"Henry told me Jack called him stupid like he always does. That's all I know."

"You knew…and you've done nothing!" Joe shouted, feeling his temper starting to rise. "Why do you keep protecting your jerk of a husband?"

"Jack needs help...and... I love him." Mrs. Hayden sniffed back tears. She again wiped the tears away with the tissue.

Like everyone else in the room Joe just stood dumbfounded by the woman's claim.

At that moment, Dr. Bryce came back into the waiting room. Before he had time to say anything, Mrs. Hayden demanded, "I want to see my son!"

"Henry doesn't want to see you." The doctor shook his head ignoring her angry demeanor. "The only person he'd like to see is Joe Hardy".

A few minutes later, Frank and Joe stood in Henry's room. There were monitors and an IV sticking out of him. A white bandage around his left eye and his face was all swollen and bruised. Joe could see tape supporting his broken ribs.

Henry's right eye opened as he looked straight at Joe, a tear running down his cheek.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here." Joe smiled gently, noting the fear on Henry's face. "Frank's here too. I promise you Henry, Hayden's never going to hurt you again. He's got a lot to answer for"."

"That's right Henry. You're safe now." Frank said gently. Rage coursed through his body as he looked down at his battered friend.

"Go away." Henry shifted his gaze to Frank and spoke in a voice that could barely be described a whisper. "Keep Joe away from me."

The brothers exchanged a confused look before Frank turned back to Henry. "What did you say?" Frank asked, wanting to make sure he'd heard Henry correctly.

"You have to...Frank please...you have to...keep Joe away from me." Henry replied, his voice raspy but a little clearer.

"Why is that?" Joe asked straight out.

"He'll kill you."


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. Here's my new chapter hope you like it :) I look forward to reading your reviews. Your feedback encourages me to continue writing the story. I'm still learning a lot about and trying to better my writing.

Chapter 11

"Mr. Hayden threatened to kill me?"

"Y-yes, please go away Joe..."

"Henry, I'm not afraid of Mr. Hayden. Let him come at me. He'll be sorry." Joe scoffed as he saw a spark of anger ignite in his big brother's eyes.

"I promise you, Henry." Frank said, fuming at the thought of the man getting his hands on his brother. He instantly fell into big brother mode. "Hayden'll have to get through me in order to get to Joe".

"You can't stop him." Henry spoke with a bit of a lisp due to his two missing front teeth, "He never stops. I shouldn't have said anything". Tears continued to stream down his face. "It's my fault you're in trouble".

"No, it's not." Joe placed his hand on top of Henry's giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hayden is at fault here not you. He was wrong to hurt you. But, you're safe now. We're going to make sure of that."

Frank asked. "Mr. Hayden is your father, isn't he? Is that what you were trying to tell me the other day at school?"

Henry was quiet; the boys weren't sure if he was going to say anything. Then finally he admitted, "Yes..." his voice quivered out. "I-I was afraid if you knew my secret… you would stop being… my friends. I like you guys and your friends. You've all been really nice to me. It's hard to know w-who to trust anymore."

"You can always trust us and our friends." Joe said, in all honesty. "I'm not saying that we don't have our share of arguments; but when we do, we manage to work things out. We understand that everyone has different perspectives and beliefs about certain matters and that's okay. Frank and I give our friends our trust and respect because that's the way we want to be treated. Isn't that the golden rule, to treat others the way you want to be treated?"

"When you become friends with the Hardy Boys, you're a friend for life." Frank added matter of fact. "I guarantee you Henry, Hayden will never hurt you again."

After a short pause in the conversation, Joe spoke up again, "Henry will you trust us enough to tell us, again, what happened last Friday?" He didn't want to push his friend but it was important if they wanted to find Hayden. "We know there was more to it than just a verbal attack".

"I can't tell you." Henry stated, once more turning away from Joe. "Jack means what he says. He'll kill you if I do."

"You call your father, Jack?"

"I refuse to call him father or dad. I hate him. I don't want him to kill you."

"Don't you trust us?"

Henry nodded his head yes.

"Henry we understand you're scared. Frank and I want to help you. But we can't if you won't let us."

"Were Johnny Stevens and Brett Cooley in the room with you?"

"Y-yeah."

"They were in the room with you and Mr. Hayden last Friday?"

"Yeah."

"Did something else happen?"

Henry trembled at the words, "He told them to hit me".

The brothers glanced at each other, before Frank turned back to Henry and asked, "Mr. Hayden made Johnny and Brett hit you?"

"Yeah, like he did at my other school in Southport. I have dyslexia. Jack said he would tutor me. I had to meet with him every Friday after school for a tutoring session. There would be two, maybe three big boys from the football team in there."

Henry clutched his blanket tightly in his hand. "When I didn't know the answer to a question Jack would ask or I'd have trouble reading something, he'd have the boys take turns punching me in the stomach. Jack would say he was teaching me to be smart and to fight back like a man; I'd try to defend myself but there was always too many of them".

"Other days after school those boys would be waiting for me in the parking lot. When I'd come home all beat up I would be in trouble with Jack. He said I was too weak and stupid for failing to fight back."

""The same thing happened after we moved here to Bayport. I'd meet Jack after school on Fridays; like always he'd call me stupid and have Johnny and Brett take turns punching me every time I didn't know the answer to a question he'd ask".

"Then on Monday, I'd gone to Jack's classroom to ask him about the assignment. He called me stupid and told me to not hang around you, forbid it really". Henry nodded at Joe, "But, I told him I wasn't going to stop being friends with you. That's when he got mad and shoved me against the wall, and I ran out of the room."

Frank and Joe were just stunned by this latest bombshell. It was worse than they'd thought; Mr. Hayden insisted the other students bully his own son. They turned the words over in their heads trying to fathom the idea. This man was sick.

Fresh tears started streaming down Henry's face. "Jack hates me...because... I'm not smart like most kids. I guess... I am stupid like... he says."

Frank saw the pain, fear and sadness welling up in Henry's right eye. He let his own eyes sweep over the bruises, his swollen bottom lip and bandage over his left eye.

The sudden need to protect this kid intensified as his big brother instincts kicked into high gear; it was the same feeling as he'd have if it had been Joe lying there. He hadn't forgotten about what Hayden did to his little brother. Joe was not going to jail.

"Henry, you are not stupid." He spoke using the same calm, soothing tone of voice he'd use if he'd been trying to get Joe to calm down. "You just have a different ways of learning things. There are other ways to help you understand and learn things that work better than Hayden's cruel method. Clearly, there is something wrong with that man; no one in their right mind would treat a person the way he treats you. What he's doing is abuse, plain and simple".

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Henry slowly nodded yes.

"Will you tell us what happened last night?" Frank asked steering carefully back to the topic.

Henry decided he could trust the Hardy brothers. He needed someone on his side for once. He wanted the pain to stop. He took a deep breath and let it out, "My mom was still at work. It was dark outside; I was sitting on the couch watching TV when he came home. He was angry...angrier than I've ever seen him. He started yelling, 'It's your fault stupid! You told them about our tutoring session! Now I'm going to make you sorry!'"

"He kicked over the glass coffee table… But I wasn't fast enough...he caught me by my shirt… he threw me onto the couch...on my stomach... shouted 'Don't move!' I could feel the weight of his knee on my back...he took off his belt and started to whip me..." The tears continued to roll down the boy's face as he looked at the stunned faces of the Hardy brothers in front of him. "He yelled "Don't you cry! Take it like a man!"

"…Henry maybe we should stop." Joe said he felt sick to his stomach. "Yes, we can do this later when you're feeling better." Frank said, mentally berating himself for pushing his friend when he wasn't ready.

"No, I want to tell you." Henry said, after catching his breath," Jack picked me up off of the couch... and... d-dragged me... into the kitchen... he dropped me onto the floor... He kept punching me in the face.." Gripping his chest Henry began to wince in pain. "I could taste the blood in my mouth".

"Before everything went black he said, "Stay away from Joe Hardy... or I'll... kill him!" As he stared up at Joe Henry began to hyperventilate. Frank quickly stepped out of the room to get the doctor.

A few minutes later Dr. Bryce came to check on his patient and give him something to help him sleep. Once their friend was asleep, Frank and Joe stepped out of the room and without a word being exchanged, sank into the chairs by the door; their minds were reeling from everything their friend had shared with them.

Fenton and Laura found their sons sitting outside Henry's room completely devastated. Fenton's heart went out them. They'd been the ones to find their friend in that state.

What they'd seen and heard today would be forever engrained in their minds. Right now, they weren't the young teenage detectives following their father's footsteps. They were kids needing love and comfort from their parents.

After twenty years of being in law enforcement the detective still couldn't understand why or how any parent could abuse their child. He loved and treasured every minute that he got to spend with his boys.

"Baby, are you okay?" Laura immediately went over to Joe. "I… don't know, Mom. I… just don't know." Joe cried in his mother's arms.

"Frank honey, are you okay?" Laura asked, releasing Joe before going over to Frank. Fenton saw for the first time just how awful his eldest son looked. When Laura wrapped her arms around Frank, tears started to form in the corners of his brown eyes. For a split second Fenton thought Frank was going to break. No sooner than the tears started to slowly trickle down his face did Frank pull away from his mother.

"Frank..." Laura started to say.

"I'm okay, Mom." Frank lied as he tried his hardest to sound nonchalant, plastering a fake smile on his face.

"Frank, I need you to look at me." Fenton knelt down in front of him. Frank did as his father instructed. "Don't hold back what you're feeling. You would have to be inhuman to not be affected by what you saw today."

The elder Hardy boy's voice cracked as he finally gave in to his emotions and let the tears fall. "I didn't know it would be this hard." Fenton pushed his detective side away, his son needed him, and put his arms around Frank who practically fell into his father's arms crying.

When Frank finished crying, he released his father in order to be able to wipe the tears from his face. Finishing, Frank told his parents, "Henry was telling us every despicable thing Hayden did to him. I was looking at him and asking myself how any parent could do that to their kid". Frank ran a hand through his hair. "He's just a kid."

"I don't understand it myself," Fenton replied, shaking his head. "I'm sorry you boys had to see your friend like that."

Fenton looked over at Joe, to make sure he was okay. He could see the mix of emotions on his face and knew his son was about to explode. "Joe, are you alright?" He asked, touching the side of Joe's face.

"I don't know Dad." Joe looked at his father with tears of anger in his eyes. "I don't know what to think anymore".

"What do you mean?"

"'All that talk of doing the right thing for justice. What kind of justice is Henry getting?" Joe said, feeling pressure building up inside of him. "Everyone has had an opportunity to help him and failed."

"Joe..." Laura stood up to calm her son down.

"Laura," Fenton stopped her. "He needs to do this."

"It's okay Joe; get it off your chest." Frank added his encouragement.

Joe huffed then said, "Frank told me about the police report that Sam gave you. The police had a call about a year ago of a man fitting Hayden's description brutally beating a woman in an apartment. Hayden was gone before the police got there, the neighbors claimed they hadn't heard or seen anything".

"They had to have heard someone crying or screaming in that apartment; if you can hear that kind of thing through the walls, then it's serious". Joe said dryly, "They just didn't want to get involved."

"Henry was the one who made the call," Joe pointed out. "Am I right?"

"Yes, that's right." Fenton answered his son. "He was found hiding in a closet." He suddenly realized where Joe was going with this.

"In order for the police to make their report they would've had to see the kind of condition Henry was in." He started counting off with his fingers. "Mrs. Jacobs…err… Hayden does not care about her son. She never pressed charges against the man. You heard her explanation in the waiting room a moment ago; she made it sound like it was all Henry's fault. She practically blamed him for her husband's abusive behavior. She still loves the guy, I don't know why?"

Joe shrugged. "She disappeared from the hospital, taking Henry with her. Hayden was probably with them when they moved here."

"Principal Ryan is no help; he's the man's brother for Pete's sake, so we know whose side he's on". Joe stabbed himself in the chest with his thumb. "I'm the one who tried to do something to stop the abuse. And look where it got me! I'm the one facing potential jail time!"

"Henry told us what really happened during that tutoring session." He was doing his best to stay calm and fill his parents in on what they'd learned. "Basically, Hayden would encourage other students to beat up and otherwise bully his own son. He planned all this".

""Any time Henry couldn't answer a question or had trouble reading something, Hayden would get the other students, some of which were football players, take turns punching Henry in the stomach. Other times he'd have the students' gang up on Henry in the parking lot and beat him up then".

"Hayden threatened to kill me if Henry didn't stay away. That's one of the reasons he was afraid to say anything."

"This was all to teach Henry to be smart and fight back 'like a man'. He tried to fight back only to find out he was outnumbered. He calls Hayden by his first name because he doesn't deserve the title of father or dad; I don't really blame Henry for that". Frank continued the story.

Laura started to cry and Fenton clenched his jaw in anger hearing that. He was ready to kill the man himself. They were equally disgusted after the boys were finished.

"Now, Henry is lying in that hospital room," Joe said, pointing to the room behind him, "All because of his father." He looked at Fenton and asked again, "What kind of justice is Henry getting?"

Fenton saw the look in Joe's eyes; he wanted answers. Both Frank and Laura were also at a loss for words. Pulling up a chair, Fenton sat down in front of Joe. He answered the only way he knew how to, by giving Joe the truth. "Joe, I don't know. All I know for sure is that our justice system isn't perfect".

"It is important that we do things the right way. The legal way," he continued on. "We have to be the ones who stay in control. If we don't then people like Hayden would win automatically".

"Doing the right thing isn't always easy. There are probably a number of reasons why people didn't want to get involved in helping Henry."

"I can only guess...Maybe it was out of fear of retaliation." He added, throwing out suggestions. "They might be having legal issues of their own. They might not want to attract any attention from police. Or they simply didn't want to get involved. People tend to rationalize behavior and tell themselves that the situation is not as bad as it actually is."

"Everyone wants to make a positive change in the world. I believe that a positive change starts within yourself, before you can make a change in the world. If you can't find justice in a courtroom, then there's the next best place I can think of."

"Where's that?" Joe asked, trying to understand.

"I think the voting booth is what Dad is referring to." Frank replied, picking up on what Fenton was saying.

Fenton nodded in agreement. "Next year Joe, you will be able to vote."

"Look out, when Joe gets to vote." Laura teased, drawing out smiles she hadn't seen in a while.

"Couldn't you find out what happened last year with the police in Southport? Why didn't they help Henry? Where was he during all that time?" Joe spoke up in all seriousness. "And how do we help Henry now?"

"I can answer part of that." Sam said as he approached the Hardy family. "Henry was taken to the hospital and was being treated for his injuries. He was going to be turned over to the Child Protection Services but then Henry and his mother both disappeared from the hospital. And of course, his mother refusing to press charges didn't help matters either". The police were in the process of looking for Henry but the trail went cold, until now."

"What are you doing here?" Fenton asked curiously. "Is there any word on Hayden's whereabouts?"

"No," Sam said regretfully. "Chief Collig and the police force are working nonstop to find him. I wanted to stop by to see how you were all doing, as well as the kid. I also wanted to mention that a Brett Cooley and Johnny Stevens were just brought into the station along with Ryan Hayden".


	12. Chapter 12

I want to thank LauraQ, KDesai, and CherylannRivers (hopefully I have your names right) for taking the time to read and review my story. Your words are encouraging and gives me the motivation to keep going. thank you to everyone else is reading and following. I have three more chapters let to write. Then I'm going to start writing a sequel, I might need help with legal court stuff, I don't know much about that stuff. PM if you want to help me with that and I'll tell you my idea for the sequel.

Thanks again, here's my new chapter hope you like it.

Pressure Chapter 12

Things had just become more interesting now that Brett, Johnny and Ryan Hayden had been brought to the police station. "They have to be Hayden's witnesses. I'm sure of it." Frank thought to himself.

Frank felt as if they were one step closer to putting Mr. Jack Hayden behinds bars. Finally Henry was going to get the justice he deserved, after all the hell he'd been put through. And Joe would be proven innocent.

Fenton patted Joe on the knee as he answered his last question. "We're going to help Henry now." As happy and relieved Joe was to hear that good news, he couldn't shake the troubled thoughts that were running through his mind.

"Henry's not going back to his mother, is he?" Worry shone in his eyes as he said, "She doesn't care about him; she didn't ask if he was okay, or shed a single tear. Anytime Frank or I get so much as a tiny scratch, Mom goes into a tizzy. She'll even come into our rooms in the middle of the night, to make sure we're still breathing".

Frank nodded in agreement with his brother. It was true. Whenever they were sick or hurt their mother would always go overboard in the mothering department. They'd be sitting in their rooms perfectly fine and Laura would come in and ask them, Are you okay? Do you need anything?" It didn't matter how old her sons were, in her eyes they were still and would always be her babies.

"I can't help it. I'm your mother. It's my job." Laura said sheepishly, her cheeks turning a light pink.

"That's why we love you". Frank gave his mother a kiss on the cheek.

"So, what's going to happen to Henry?"

"It remains to be seen whether or not it is safe for Henry to return to his mother" Fenton informed his younger son. "Until then he'll be in the care of Child Protective Services. They will most likely place him in a foster home."

"With people he doesn't know. God only knows what will happen to him then." Joe retorted, he didn't like the idea at all. "Henry's been through hell, why add more to it?"

"Can't he stay with us?"

Fenton had known that question was coming. He stroked his chin as he thought of how to reply to his son. He prepared himself for the debate he was about to get into with his youngest. "I'm sorry Joe; I wish he could stay with us."

Joe began to argue his point. "I've heard you talk about the horrors of the system that is foster care and how the kids are sometimes mistreated by the people who are supposed to care for them. If we don't help Henry while we've got him, it'll be too late. Once he's eighteen he'll be considered an adult and be pushed out the door. From there he'll just be forgotten about. Then a few years down the road, it'll be Henry we'll have to arrest because he hurt somebody".

Fenton just stared at him, blinking. "You know something, Joe?" He commented. "You're a really smart young man to have figured all that out". He knew how much Joe cared about his friend, that was why it'd break his heart to, have to continue the conversation.

"Henry has been through a lot, physically, mentally and emotionally. Once the hospital releases him, he's going to need a lot of care and attention to get through this. That's more than we can give him; your mother and I have yours and Frank's needs to think about". Fenton was trying hard to convince his son that they were doing the right thing.

"The reason Henry can't stay with us is because of our line of work. You boys have grown up in the law enforcement business. You know the risks and dangers involved; Henry doesn't. We'd be putting him in danger with our enemies wanting revenge".

Fenton saw the disappointment in his son's eyes. "Joe, I give you my word. That I will personally see to it, that Henry is placed with a good, safe and loving home."

"I have to agree with your father." Laura added bravely doing her best not to cry.

"Joe, Dad is right." Frank said, coming to his father's aid. "We have to do what's best for Henry".

Joe wiped a tear from his eye; his father was right, Henry wouldn't be safe with them. If anything were to happen to Henry...he'd never be able to live with himself. Taking a breath he nodded. "Okay". He knew he needed to trust his father.

Con Riley stood just a few feet away from the Hardy family; making it seem like he wasn't listen in on their conversation. He quickly wiped a tear from his own eye. This was some family; the kind of family every family should be; parents loving their children and children respecting their parents.

He hated everything that Hayden'd done to both Henry and Joe. The pain and misery they'd been put through, nobody deserved that. He was grateful to hear that Ryan Hayden had been brought to the station along with his brother's two, so-called witnesses. Hopefully now, the truth would finally come out.

The officer thought back to last night when he'd stood outside Joe's jail cell keeping him company. He'd insisted he'd be the one to look after Joe, no way would be break a promise to Frank Hardy.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, he shared a secret with the younger Hardy boy. A secret they both vowed to never reveal to anyone with the exception of Frank of course. He had done something that if anyone found out, could cost him his badge …

 _"Joe, what's wrong?" he asked, noting the teenager had a look on his face like he was going to be sick._

 _"I have a bad feeling Henry's in trouble." Joe said hurriedly getting up from his cot. He came over to Con and gripped the bars tightly with his hands turning his knuckles white._

 _"I need a favor."_

 _"What sort of favor?" Con just narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. Why didn't he like the sound of that? He had a gut feeling the younger Hardy was up to something. He could just see the wheels turning in his head._

 _"Help me get out of here." Joe whispered, the look in his blue eyes was serious._

 _"What?" Con's eyes widened as he repeated what Joe had said to himself. He quickly glanced in either direction to make sure they were alone in the room._

 _"I can't do that." He whispered back._

 _"Con, please Henry's in trouble."_

 _"Joe, do you know what you're asking me?" As an officer of the law, he would never do anything that obstructed justice and always did everything by the book. However, for some unknown reason when it came to the Hardy brothers somehow he'd found himself caught up in one of their clever little schemes._

 _"Yes, I do."_

 _"I'll call your father." Con tried to reason. "He and Frank will go check Henry. Give me his address."_

 _"I'm the only one Henry will talk to. He'll be scared if I'm not there." Joe pleaded with him. "Dad will understand, he will. And I'll work things out with Chief Collig so you won't get into any trouble. Please, Con, Henry's life is on the line, I just know it"._

 _"Joe, I wish I could, but I can't. Chief Collig would have my badge not to mention give me the chewing out of a lifetime. I'd rather tangle with an angry pitbull than deal with him. You really want me to go through all that?"_

 _Joe sighed in frustration. Just then an idea came to him. "It's okay, Con, you don't have to. I'm sorry I asked, I don't want you getting in trouble with the Chief."_

 _"Um… thank you." Con replied curiously. His suspicion was correct the younger Hardy did have something else up his sleeve._

 _"I can get out of here myself." Joe put in confirming Con's suspicion._

 _Con looked around again to make sure they were alone. He whispered back, "And just how are you going to do that? I know you and your brother can be mysterious at times. That's why I searched you myself to make sure you didn't have anything you to use to pick the lock."_

 _"Are you a magician now, you have a bag full of tricks I don't know about? Sometimes I wonder who the clever masterminds really are the two of you or the criminals."_

 _"It's probably best you don't know." Joe said, with a crafty smile._

 _"You're probably right." Con nodded._

 _"Con, please, all you have to do is leave the room. Make sure nobody comes in here, especially the Chief. It should take me about five to ten minutes tops to get out of this cell. Once I'm out give me, oh, I'd say another five minute head start to sneak out of the station."_

 _"I promise as soon as I know Henry is safe, I'll turn myself in. Just leave the room."_

 _Con just looked at Joe as he debated with himself. He would say no if it wasn't for the fact that a kid's life might be in danger. No, wait... Wait! Was he actually considering this crazy idea?_

 _"Alright, Joe I'm leaving." He sighed wearily. "I don't know how I let you talk me into these things? If the Chief only knew half the things I do for you boys." He said shaking his head. "Maybe you really are clever masterminds?"_

 _"Thanks Con, you won't regret this." Joe said gratefully._

 _With that the officer reluctantly left the room. "I better not..."_

"Fenton there's another reason I'm here." Sam said, breaking into Con's thoughts, bringing him back to the hospital waiting room. "I'm sorry but Joe needs to get back to the station. Though the Chief didn't see the need to put him in handcuffs this time; he also thought it'd be better if you brought him in".

"Thanks Sam, we'll be there as soon as we can," Fenton replied. He fought back the tears that began to swell up in the corner of his eyes.

Joe's chin began to quiver as he stood up, trying to put on a brave face. "Well, let's not keep Chief Collig waiting."

Frank stood up, immediately grabbing his brother into a hug. "It won't be for long, little brother," he said as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "You'll be home soon, I promise."

Laura was trying to be so brave and not break down as she took her turn to give Joe a hug. Releasing her son she turned to her husband, "You do whatever it takes to bring both our boys home".

"I will." He promised her.

Then she gave Frank a hug, knowing full well that her oldest wouldn't be coming home without his brother. Laura didn't want to go home without her family, so she wiped the tears from her eyes and left to do some volunteer work in the hospital.

"Wait, where's Mrs. Hayden?" Joe asked anxiously. He didn't want to leave Henry alone.

"She stormed out of the hospital while you were visiting Henry." Fenton answered. "We don't know where she is at the moment."

"She was very persistent about seeing her son. What if she or Hayden sneaks into the hospital room to get to him?" Frank added his concern.

"I've already informed the hospital as to what's going on and they're upping security. The medical staff as well as security all have a full description of Hayden and his wife. There'll be a guard posted outside Henry's room; the doctor and his nurse are the only ones allowed inside".

"Shouldn't there be someone sitting with Henry? So he won't be alone and scared." Joe asked worriedly.

"Already have that part taken care of." Fenton smiled as he nodded his head towards the hallway.

Frank and Joe both had big grins on their faces as they turned to see Chet just coming across the corner, Tony, Phil, Biff and Callie following close on his heels. "I know you're going to want to spend some time with your friends. We'll give you a few minutes before we leave for the station." Fenton said. He and Sam took a step back, allowing the boys a moment with their friends.

Joe had to ask. "What are you all doing here? You're supposed to be getting ready for school in a couple of hours."

"I got Frank's message about Henry early this morning just before school. You guys were on your way to the hospital. " Callie gave her boyfriend a quick hug, "I called everyone else to give them the news. We told our parents about Henry. They gave us permission to miss school so we could be here."

"When we got here your Dad told us what happened to Henry."

"He worked it out with Henry's doctor." Chet Morton said. "So we're going to us take turns sitting with Henry so we don't overwhelm him."

"Yep, we brought him some magazines and comic books." Tony said, holding up a backpack to show them. "And homework for us while we wait for our turn."

Frank looked around the waiting room at his friends. He was, once again astounded by their loyalty. They didn't hesitate for a moment to get up at the early hours of the morning before school. With permission from their parents to miss school just to come to the hospital to be with their new friend. Someone whom they'd just met yesterday.

"I can't believe Mr. Hayden did that to Henry?" Phil said in disgust, breaking into Frank's thoughts. "Henry seems like such a nice guy. Quiet and a little skittish maybe, but that's understandable with his situation being what it is".

"I hope you get that jerk Hayden and make him pay for this." Biff added heatedly. He punched his fist into the palm of his other hand.

"Oh, we will, Biff, believe me we will." Frank vowed. He still couldn't get the horrific image of how they'd found Henry out of his mind. He wanted to make Hayden pay for this crime so bad.

"So, it's true Mr. Hayden and Henry are, father and son?" Tony asked; trying to understand this.

"Yes, it's true." Joe answered.

Frank and Joe took turns quickly filling their friends in on everything they'd learned about Henry. Frank explained how Henry was dyslexic and the outcome of Hayden's warped tutoring sessions.

"Basically, Hayden would encourage other students to beat up and bully his own son. He planned these things. Every time Henry didn't know the answer to a question or had trouble reading something. Hayden would get others students to take turns beating Henry up, sometimes having them meet him in the school parking lot. All this to teach Henry to be smart and to 'fight like a man'. He'd try to fight back but he was always outnumbered.".

"That man is sick." Tony said, disgusted by this.

"There are some famous celebrities I've heard of who have dyslexia. It is even said that Albert Einstein may have been." Phil spoke up. "My cousin Seth is dyslexic."

"Seth was in middle school when he found out he had it. He used to get D's and F's on his assignments. I know he had trouble taking notes whether it was from the board or a textbook. He also had issues when it came to learning to read, write and spell. He used to skip school because he was teased so much".

"That's awful." Callie commented. "Making fun of someone just because they're different is wrong".

"He deals with it really well now. His parents got him into a study program to help him learn new techniques to deal with his dyslexia. Now he's a senior in high school and getting A's and B's. He wants to go to college to be a teacher."

"That's great news." Frank answered. "Maybe you could share your story with Henry. Hopefully it'll help him; give him some positive encouragement and show him he's not the only one who has trouble in school. That there are ways out there that could help him with his dyslexia."

"I will." Phil replied.

"I have a question for you Joe?" Biff inquired, tilting his head inquisitively, "How did you get out of jail?"

"Yeah," Chet replied. "We were all shocked the other night at Prito's to see Con putting you in handcuffs and into the back of his car. What was that all about?"

Joe quickly explained about Hayden filing charges on him for allegedly hitting him. Plus his witnesses who claimed they saw it happen.

"Who are these witnesses?" Phil questioned adjusting his glasses.

Johnny Stevens and Brett Cooley" Frank answered. "We'll know more when we get to the police station.

Joe put in, "I know one thing they were not in the room at the time of my altercation with Hayden."

"Those guys are a couple of jerks. I hate playing football with them; they have no sense of sportsmanship," Biff said, fuming. "They're always picking on someone. To think of them picking on someone like Henry...hopefully they'll get what's coming to them."

"Don't worry, Joe. We have your back". Tony reassured him. Everyone nodded their agreement, all of them vowing to stand with and support Joe, knowing without a doubt that he was innocent.

"I need to talk to you." Callie leaned into Frank.

Frank nodded and steered her away from the group. "What's wrong?" He asked, seeing the concern in her eyes.

"I hope Henry's going to be okay. Really, I do." Callie said before giving her boyfriend a hug. "It's just awful what Hayden did to him. He must've been so scared."

"I've been worried about Joe too. Just the thought of him being scared and alone in jail makes me want to cry. How are you holding up? I know you must be worrying yourself sick over all this". She could clearly see the anxiety and worry in his brown eyes.

"I'm holding it together as I best as I can. I'll be okay once Hayden is caught and Joe's out of jail and Henry is in a safe place." Frank replied, fighting back the urge to cry. "Thank you by the way, for being so concerned for Joe." He hugged her tight in his arms.

It deeply touched him to have his girlfriend's on going support for Joe. The two were often competing, fighting for Frank's attention. However, deep down Frank knew they cared for each other; they acted almost like they were brother and sister.

He thought about his conversation with Joe about him learning to let go of his feelings. He had allowed himself to let go and cry after visiting with Henry, knowing only his family could see him. Seeing his friend's abused face and hearing the details of the hell Hayden had put his son through, had had that effect on him.

Frank wasn't sure if he could allow himself to let go and cry like that in front of his girlfriend. He didn't know if he was ready to let her see that side of him. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk to her about it?

"When this case is all over," He leaned over, whispering into Callie's ear, "There's something I need to talk to you about".

Callie just looked deep into his brown eyes and could tell he had something on his mind. "Okay." She nodded.

"You still haven't answered my question Joe." Biff spoke up. He arched an eyebrow as he asked again. "How did you get out of jail?"

Joe looked around at his friends' curiosity filled faces, all waiting for him to answer. Glancing over at Con he remembered the vow the two of them had made. He would eventually tell Frank, remembering his promise to him as well, but nobody else.

He finally answered, "I would tell you Biff, but a magician never reveals his secrets".


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter. Here is my new chapter. Hope you like it. Looking forward to reading your reviews :)

Pressure Chapter 13

At the Bayport police station:

"I'm beginning to hate this place." Joe muttered. He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. It felt as if there were giant bats flying around in his stomach. Joe hated that he'd had to coerce Con into helping him escape from jail. But he'd had no other choice; he'd had to follow his gut that was telling him in no uncertain terms that Henry was in trouble. He'd told Frank, finally, what he and Con had done; Frank had promised his little brother that the secret would remain with him.

Sensing Joe's nervousness, Frank began to rub his back in an effort to help him calm down. "Hey, are you alright, little brother?"

Frank knew that being trapped alone in a room, with no way out was one of Joe's biggest fears. And really, it was a reasonable fear considering that the brothers were always falling victim to their father's enemies. Whether they were working on a case or not didn't matter and being the younger of the two made Joe an easy target.

Frank knew of his little brother's fear and had come up with the idea a few months back to have Joe carry a lock-pick on him at all times; just as a precaution. He'd asked Phil, who was a genius when it came to computers and other technology, to help him create a secret compartment in one of Joe's shoes to conceal the tiny tool. Frank looked down at the black and white sneakers Joe currently had on his feet and smiled, "thank God, my idea worked." He thought proudly.

It was their little secret... survival technique both brothers knew very well. The boys suspected that Fenton knew about the survival technique, but he would just never let on.

Feeling calmer, Joe asked his brother. "Yeah, it's just I'd rather be at the hospital with Henry instead of here."

"I know you do." Frank sighed heavily, "This will all be over with soon. Just remember that we're here to help Henry."

"I wish we could be in the room questioning Johnny and Brett."

"Well, at least we will be able to watch and listen to what's going on in there from out here."

"You boys are lucky your dad is letting you do that much," Carl Sims remarked. He'd been standing outside the interrogation room with the brothers. Carl hadn't been too happy when he'd found out the youngest Hardy had escaped from jail. When he'd questioned his client as to how he'd done it, Joe had given him a vague, "The 'how I did it' isn't important. The important thing is that I turned myself in".

Carl had a feeling he wasn't getting the full story. However, knowing the Hardy family as well as he did, he knew not to question his client any further. Now that the two other boys had been brought in with Ryan Hayden, he was hoping that the outcome of Joe's case would change; the way he saw it right now, the future wasn't looking all too bright.

The boys were not allowed to listen in on the interrogations. Luckily however, Fenton as well as Carl Sims had persuaded Chief Collig to let the boys watch from the other side of the two-way mirror. The Chief had allowed it on the condition that Joe didn't leave the station. That was fine by Joe; he just saw it as another delay to him having to sit alone in a jail cell.

* * *

In the interrogation room, Johnny and Brett were sitting nervously beside their parents as they were being questioned by Chief Collig. So far neither boy was willing to give up any information. Ryan Hayden was being held was in another room across the hall.

Frank and Joe had given Chief Collig Henry's statements. Every gritty detail of the abuse the boy had endured at the hands of his father. The Chief had compared Henry's statement with what the two boys had shared the last time they were there to see if everything matched up. He'd come to the conclusion that someone was lying and he didn't think it was Henry; what reason did Henry have to lie? And so, the Chief wanted to interview Brett and Johnny a second time.

Frank had been thrilled when the police chief had managed to get them to admit to being Hayden's witnesses. Not that he hadn't believed Henry, that wasn't it. But now things could get done officially.

""Chief Collig, why are we here again?" Johnny's father, a tall, stocky man, asked. "My son gave you his statement the other day".

"That goes for Brett as well." Mr. Cooley added, he was the older version of his son. "Do we need to call our lawyer for this?" Mrs. Cooley, a slender woman of average height, questioned.

"Yes, if that's what your wish to do?" Chief Collig said informing the parents. "However, your sons are not under arrest. It all depends on how much they cooperate. I want to go over their statements one more time. In case there's something they might have forgotten. "

""I should inform you boys that perjury is a crime. If this case were to go to trial, you'd be called in to testify before the court as to the crime you'd witnessed. There shouldn't be any problems as long as you tell the truth. If you are not being truthful then you could have some legal issues of your own."

"Are you calling my son a liar?!" Mr. Stevens demanded, pounding his fist on the table.

"Let's just say I'm not getting the whole story."

"How dare you?! What kind of a department are you running here, Chief Collig?!"

"I dare because last night a seventeen year old boy was found in his house, beaten to within an inch of his life!" Chief Collig roared. "My men have been working around the clock, with no sleep, to find the animal responsible".

"Thankfully the young man is alive, but I hear he's in pretty bad shape." He continued, this time he kept his voice calm but stern, "His name is Henry Jacobs and I believe he's a classmate of yours, is he not?" He asked the two boys.

Chief Collig went on when the two boys didn't answer, "The boy's father, Jack Hayden is the person we're very interested in talking to. We have reason to believe he's the one who committed this horrific crime."

"I think it would be a concern to you parents to know that Jack Hayden is also a teacher at Bayport High school. It's been reported that he had allegedly physically and verbally abused Henry during a tutoring session on a Friday after school."

You boys wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Again the boys remained silent.

"This is not the first occurrence on school grounds." The police chief pressed on, "It is believed that the same incident may've occurred at another school."

"D-did you say Mr. Hayden was Henry's father?" Brett stuttered breaking the silence. He bounced his left leg up and down nervously.

"Yes, I did."

"Look, it wasn't our fault." Brett confessed. "Mr. Hayden made us."

"Mr. Hayden made you do what?" The chief repeated.

Brett opened his mouth to answer, then immediately stopped talking when Johnny hissed, "shut up."

"I-I don't remember." Then Brett went quiet.

* * *

"Ugh, the Chief is wasting his time with these two!" Joe growled, growing restless from watching the interrogation.

"I know." Frank frowned, thinking the same thing. "Brett was so close to breaking until Johnny shut him up."

"They're not going to talk with their parents in the room, or each other for that matter. They've got to be separated". Carl added, gravely.

"I have something that might shake things up." Fenton said coming up beside his boys with a blue folder in his hand. "It might be an eye opener for the boys as well as their parents. If this doesn't stop the bullying, I don't know what will."

Frank and Joe looked at each other, each wondering what was in the folder.

"Hello everyone," Fenton greeted, as he walked into the room. "I have some pictures that I need you to see". Fenton got right to it; he took several large pictures out of the folder, placing them so both boys as well as their parents could see the content.. "Take a good look, gentlemen."

"Do you recognize him? This is Henry Jacobs."

Brett flinched in reply, his face suddenly going pale at the sight of the pictures. Johnny took a quick look before glancing the other way.

"This is how far bullying can go. In other words, it's abuse." Fenton gave them a full disclosure of the abuse. "You see those deep lacerations on Henry's back? Mr. Hayden did that with his belt. And the swollen bottom lip and his left eye swollen shut; that was done repeatedly with the man's fist."

Fenton felt bad for displaying Henry's nightmare for everyone to see; however the way he saw it, he had no other choice. Time was running out and they needed to find Hayden.

"What does Dad think he's doing?" Joe asked sharply. "I have to put a stop to this. It's too cruel." He had his hand on the doorknob to go in and stop his father from saying anymore.

"Joe, take it easy," Frank said, pulling him back. "Dad's not doing this to hurt Henry on purpose." He answered, fully understanding the father's reason. "He has to get their attention somehow if we are going to find Hayden."

"Not like this. There has to be some other way." Joe said trying to think of any alternative. "What about Principal Ryan?"

"I think they are saving him for last." Frank answered. He understood Joe's reasoning as well. Joe didn't want to see his friend hurt again.

"Johnny and Brett's statements could have a big impact on Henry's case and yours as well". Carl pointed out.

Back in the room Mrs. Cooley saw the pictures and gasped. "Brett didn't do this!"

"I don't appreciate you accusing my son of this!" Mr. Stevens shouted as he stood up. "Besides I don't think you have any room to talk Detective Hardy."

"What does that mean?" Fenton reacted hotly.

"Didn't I see your son Joe out there in the hall?" Mr. Stevens challenged stabbing a finger at the door. "Isn't he supposed to be in jail, for attacking a teacher? I guess what we read in the newspaper all the time is true then- your son is a spoiled teenager who can do whatever he wants, all because he's _your_ son. You must think you're a real big shot, don't you?" He glared at Fenton. "And I guess I got my answer as to who REALLY runs this place, didn't I?"

Whoa! That was definitely the wrong thing to say. The brothers' held their breath, waiting to see what their father's reaction would be as they saw a flash of anger ignite in his eyes. Fenton was very good at controlling his temper; not many people had experienced it firsthand although the boys were pretty sure Mr. Stevens was about to.

"Mr. Stevens, everyone, please, just simmer down and listen to me. Nobody is accusing your boys of anything. We just need their help." Chief Collig said, trying to keep things under control. "The situation with Joe is being dealt with."

Mr. Stevens added one last snide remark. "Yeah, I'm sure it is."

Fenton took a step back to cool his temper. He would like nothing more, than to thrash this man around the room. He knew his boys were watching him he had to stay in control for their sakes. However the need to protect and defend his son was overwhelming, his fatherly instincts were screaming at him. "Just to be clear, Joe was defending himself, his brother and his friend against Hayden."

"And to answer your point; I could care less what my name is! That man threatened to kill my son; I'll be damned if I'm going to let him get away with it!"

"What makes you so sure our boys know anything about this?" Mr. Cooley snapped.

Turning on a tape recorder Chief Collig turned to the two boys in the room saying, "Why don't we ask them?" As all eyes fell on Johnny and Brett again.

"Like I said it's not our fault," Brett said after swallowing a lump in his throat, "Mr. Hayden made us. It was all his idea."

"Shut Up." Johnny hissed again.

"I'm not going to jail for this." Brett shot back to his friend pointing at the pictures. "Johnny, we can't keep this quiet, anymore. I'm sick of the secrets."

"Johnny and I needed to improve our grades for the class in order to play football." He took a deep breath and began again. "Mr. Hayden told us to meet him after last Friday. He said he'd tutor us; so we went to his classroom," Brett could see Johnny out of the corner of his eye; he was shaking his head at him, telling him to shut up. Brett continued anyway. "We were told to take a seat up front. To our surprise Henry Jacobs was already sitting at the front of the classroom and acting very nervous."

"Why is that do you think?" Fenton asked.

"I didn't know at first. Henry wouldn't speak or make eye contact with us. "He'd just keep his eyes glued to Mr. Hayden. He would ask each of us a question relating to our history assignment." Brett bit his bottom lip nervously. "I heard someone whimpering to my left; it was Henry. He had tears rolling down his cheeks and he looked scared; like he knew what was going to happen. He kept trying to wipe them off quickly before Mr. Hayden saw him".

"Johnny and I, we were both answering his questions correctly. But every time Henry didn't know an answer to a question Mr. Hayden would get angry. This went on for almost the whole hour. By the end of it Mr. Hayden was getting really angry and started yelling at Henry calling him stupid".

Brett looked nervously at Johnny, "Finally Henry couldn't take it and just broke down crying and that infuriated Mr. Hayden even more…. He was acting crazy with his face was all red."

"I've never seen anyone get that angry". Brett shook his head. "The next thing we knew Mr. Hayden was yanking Henry out of his seat; he yelled telling us to get up. He said, 'you boys are going to help Henry with a new learning technique. At the same time, you'll be teaching him how to defend himself".

"We didn't know what he meant". The boy shook his head. "He pinned Henry's arms behind him and told us to take turns punching him in the stomach every time he didn't get a question right. We didn't want to; Johnny flat out refused, said he was going to tell Principal Ryan what was going on if Mr. Hayden refused to stop. Johnny started to leave..."

"Johnny, show them your arm." Brett glanced nervously at Johnny. Johnny reluctantly pulled up his shirt sleeve, revealing a bruise, in the shape of a handprint, just below his shoulder.

Mr. Stevens' eyes grew to the size of quarters as he gazed at his son. "Mr. Hayden did that to you?"

Wordlessly, Johnny nodded. From the other side of the screen, Frank and Joe's jaws dropped. Now, this was getting interesting.

"Mr. Hayden shoved Henry to the floor and then grabbed me and got right in my face," Johnny finally broke his silence with angry tears seeping from the corner of his eyes. "He started yelling at me while acting all crazy. He threatened to flunk us if we didn't do what he wanted". Johnny said shamefully. "So we did what he wanted us to do; punch Henry in the stomach. 'Harder!' he kept yelling. 'Harder!' We did it though we didn't want to".

"I can't afford to flunk that class, any of my classes really." Johnny started to choke up even more. "I have a full football scholarship to a college out in California. I can't lose that. Money is kind of tight around our house. My dad just lost his job and my mom is sick... I can't lose that scholarship". He shot his dad a pleading look. "Dad, I'm so...sorry".

"It's okay, Johnny everything's going to be okay." Mr. Steven's voice choked up. He embraced his son in an effort to impart some comfort.

Brett let out a sigh before picking up the story. "Monday, we heard about the incident between Joe Hardy and Mr. Hayden because kids were telling us about it in our morning class. We were immediately called to Mr. Ryan's office".

"Mr. Ryan said he'd heard that we'd 'beaten up one of his students'. He told us that in order to graduate, once the fall came around we'd have to do three things. One keep our mouths shut about what went on during the tutoring sessions. Two, make sure Henry did the same and three, stay away from the Hardy brothers".

"Did you actually see Joe Hardy hit Mr. Hayden?" Chief Collig asked straight out. "That is what you claim happened in an earlier statement."

Frank and Joe held their breath, their hearts pounding as they waited for the boys to answer.

"No, we didn't". Brett answered.

You weren't in the room when the incident occurred?"

"No." Johnny nodded his agreement. "Mr. Ryan told us to tell the police that we saw Joe hit Mr. Hayden while arguing with him over an assignment."

"I can't believe that horrible man," Mrs. Cooley was clearly disgusted. "If we'd known this was going on we would've put a stop to it immediately". Mr. Cooley said in disbelief. "I'm so sorry."

Mr. Stevens looked at Fenton feeling a bit embarrassed. "Detective Hardy, I must apologize for my outburst earlier. It's just...my family is going through rough times right now with my wife being sick and me out of a job...now there's this incident with Mr. Hayden..." He shook his head. "I had no idea".

"Mr. Stevens, I'm sorry as well and, please call me Fenton. I'm sorry your family is going through a rough period. If there's anything I can do for you, please, don't hesitate to ask".

"Thank you." Mr. Stevens nodded gratefully. "Right now, Johnny's future is my biggest concern. That scholarship means everything to him".

"I assure you Johnny you will not lose his scholarship.' Fenton replied.

Relief washed over Johnny like a tidal wave as he choked out a, "Thank you, Mr. Hardy".

""I do have to commend you boys. I know cooperating was a difficult thing for you, given the circumstances." Chief Collig said. "You've done the right thing. I know there's a young man lying in a hospital bed who would agree with me".

"Just promise us you'll get the horrible man for hurting our boys." Mrs. Cooley said.

"We well Mrs. Cooley, we will," Fenton vowed. "Mr. Jack Hayden will pay for hurting our kids."

A smile spread across Joe's face stepping away from the room. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, I did." Frank replied as he hugged Joe. Neither one of them could keep from smiling. "This is the best news we've had all day; no jail time for my little brother."

"Carl, this is good news, isn't it?" Joe asked eagerly. "No jail time for me."

"Yes Joe, this is very good news". Carl replied. "However, you're still not out of the woods."

"That's right." Fenton said, stepping out of the room. "We still need to find Hayden."

"Do you think Mr. Ryan will tell us where to find Hayden?"

"That's what we're going to find out".

"Once we find Hayden, this will all be over," Fenton put an arm around each of his sons, a smile gracing his lips. "I have a feeling we'll all be together at home tonight."


	14. Chapter 14

I want to thank Cherylann Rivers for taking the time to send me a review of my last chapter. Your words are encouraging and help he continue to write this story. and I also want to thank elven buddy my beta reader for helping me with improve my story. And thank you to everyone else who are following along. Here's my new chapter hope you like it.

Pressure Chapter 14

"That man flat out lied to me."

Fenton stood outside the room where Ryan Hayden was currently being held. Fenton tried to calm himself down before entering the room. He was livid. Not long after Johnny and Brett had left the station alongside their parents, Chief Collig had dropped another bombshell on him.

Chief Collig sighed wearily. "I'm sorry, Fenton I should've told you about this sooner. But, once we found out about this, I had to be sure. Then when this thing with Joe and Henry came about, it brought everything to a head".

In spite of all his years of being in law enforcement, seeing the faces of abused children, whether in person or from pictures was still the hardest thing for him to do. Even now, as chief of police he had to stay professional and do his job. When he was alone at home, that's when he'd cry out his frustration. How could anyone abuse a child? He'd always taken a special interest in those cases, as he was once an abuse victim himself.

His personal childhood experiences were essential to who he was today, Chief Collig knew, as they'd been the driving force behind him wanting to be a police officer. Chief Collig always saw it as a personal victory, not for himself, but for every abuse victim when he managed to put the "animals" as he called the abusers behind bars where they belonged. "Once we have Jack Hayden in custody and behind bars where he belongs, my town will be a lot safer."

Fenton replied, taking a calming breath. "I understand your reasons for not saying anything Chief. I know that you were just doing your job and I thank you for being honest with me. You're not the one I'm angry with it's that piece of trash sitting in that room". He nodded at the door behind him. "That man flat out lied to me. Mr. Ryan will never again set foot on any school property; I'll make sure of that."

"Do you want to tell the boys this bit of news before we go in?" The Chief advised, "It's going to be a shock to them."

"No, they'll know soon enough." Fenton gave it some thought. "Now, let's go in and see what Mr. Ryan has to say about all of this."

"Are you sure you're ready to go in?"

"Oh, I'm ready. I just hope you're ready to hold me back, because I'm about ready to tear into this guy."

"Let's try to stick to the plan." The police chief replied, "Don't forget we still have an animal to catch. Save all your energy for Jack Hayden."

"Dear God, give me the strength to do this." Fenton prayed aloud before taking another deep breath. Looking up he saw his sons approaching them; he suddenly felt the strength he needed to do this. With the blue folder in hand and his other hand on the doorknob, Fenton replied, "Now, I'm ready." With that they went inside.

"What do you suppose they were talking about?" Joe asked his brother. "Dad looked like he was ready to kill someone."

"I don't know. I think we're about to find out." Frank said. He was curious to know that himself. Whatever his father and the chief of police had been talking about, he was sure Hayden was at the center of it. The brothers stopped and stood before the two way mirror, ready to watch the show.

"Mr. Ryan, we're sorry to keep you waiting." Fenton started as he and the Chief entered the room causing the principal to sit up in surprise. "We've had a lot going on."

"Not a problem, I'm just a little curious as to why I was brought in here?" Mr. Ryan said rubbing his hands together. Fenton noted the man's nervousness.

"We need your help," the Chief stated.

"What do you need my help with?" Mr. Ryan raised an eyebrow in response and placed a hand on his chest. "I'd be glad to help you any way I can. I don't see…"

"We're looking for a Jack Hayden, who we've been told is a teacher at your school." Fenton cut in. "Do you know where we could find him?"

"Jack… oh, uh, I don't know." Ryan cleared his throat. "I heard he was released from the hospital sometime yesterday morning. "Why are you looking for him? Has something happened?"

Last night one of your students was attacked at home. Jack Hayden, I understand, is one of your staff members; he's one person of interest. We really would like to talk to him."

"Oh, I can't… that is terrible! I can't believe Jack would do such a thing." Ryan said, reacting to the news. "I-I'm just in shock. Who's the student?'

"I think you know who the student is." Fenton wasn't buying the principal's poor acting job. He threw the folder on the table of the man. "Monday morning, I came into your office with my family and asked to see Jack Hayden's file", Fenton started. "Do you remember that?"

"Of course; you got so defensive and said something along the lines of 'thoroughly screening your staff'. I've never had any complaints about Mr. Hayden behaving inappropriately towards a student".

"Well, guess what, I now know the reason," Fenton said, slamming his hands onto the table, making the principal jump. "You are Ryan Patrick Hayden younger brother to Mr. Jack Michael Hayden." Fenton said, staring at the man until he had no option but to gaze back at him. "Am I right?"

Y-yes." Ryan gulped. He said abruptly, "I don't know where Jack…."

"Save it, Ryan, we know you're lying."

"I don't know." Ryan Hayden said, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"Where is he?" Fenton pushed.

"I don't know." Ryan said through gritted teeth.

"Where is Jack Hayden?!"

"I told you I don't know!"

That was all Fenton could take. In a flash, he was out of his seat, grabbing the front of Ryan's shirt, knocking the chair to the floor as he shoved the man against the wall. Standing nose to nose with the detective Ryan could see the pure anger gleaming in his eyes.

"He's crazy! Aren't you going to stop him?" Ryan cried out, his widened eyes staring right at the Chief.

"No, I am not." The Chief countered, trying to keep his anger under control. "Detective Hardy isn't crazy, he's angry. And, so am I. If I were you I'd answer his question, because if you don't I'm going to leave the room and lock you in here with him."

"You can't do that. This is police brutality." Ryan hissed. He was suddenly getting defensive again. "I know my rights. I don't have to tell you a thing without my lawyer present."

"What's the matter, Ryan? Do you feel threatened? Don't like being grabbed or shoved against a wall. Maybe having objects thrown at you in a fit of rage is more to your taste".

"This is exactly how your brother, who is also a teacher at your school, treats his students." Fenton fumed, releasing the man's shirt and doing his best to stay in control for the sake of his boys.

Ryan remained quiet while straightening out his shirt.

Fenton took a step back, to cool his temper. He was more than ready to thrash this man around the room. "I am not just an angry detective; I'm also an angry parent. I think I can speak for every parent in the school when I say; we put our trust in you to care and protect our children. You sir, failed to do that."

"You are the principal at a school where a claim of abuse has been made. Joe then made another report about the same teacher. Your first priority Mr. Ryan should've been the safety of the students. Instead, before getting all the facts straight, you immediately took the side of the teacher. You basically called my son a liar".

"There is something else Mr. Ryan, you don't know, that we do." Chief Collig chimed in, "Joe Hardy wasn't your only student who reported being abused. I can tell you right now that we've had at least ten kids from your school coming into my precinct with their parents to report being abused by their teacher Mr. Jack Hayden."

"What?!" Frank and Joe's jaw dropped in shock at hearing this new piece of information. They couldn't believe what they'd just heard come out of the police chief's mouth.

Just then Con came up beside them. "I'm afraid it's true." The officer confirmed.

"What-when, did all of this happen?" Frank asked, finding his voice.

Con cleared his throat to answer. "Frank, do remember when the two of us were sitting out here when Joe was being questioned by Chief Collig? And I told you that we believed Joe was telling the truth."

Frank nodded his yes. "Where are you going with this?"

"Yeah, where are you going with this?" Joe chimed in right at that moment. "I can't believe this." He said in disbelief. "What didn't you tell us this before?"

"We had to be sure. This all started before this incident with you and Henry. We'd had a young man come into the station a few weeks ago with his parents to report being assaulted by Hayden. A week went by before another kid came to report being assaulted by a teacher. They said they'd gone to their principal to report the matter. They were told by Mr. Ryan that he'd look into it but they never heard any more about it. Soon, we had a total of ten kids reporting abuse. By that time, we knew something was up".

"And then the incident with Joe happened. I had orders to go to the hospital to get a statement from Hayden. Hayden told me that he wanted to press charges against Joe for attacking him and that he had witnesses who'd saw it happen".

"It wasn't long after that Johnny and Brett came in giving us their statements that matched with Hayden's claim." Con shook his head, "I have to tell you, when I was listening to Mr. Hayden give us his side of the story, I thought he seemed arrogant; maybe a little _too_ arrogant, as if he knew he'd already won. Almost as if he knew he was getting away with something. So the chief and I got talking about this and decided to let everything play out. And, now we know the truth."

"That makes sense." Frank brought up. "That's why Hayden was so forthcoming with information at the hospital when I confronted him. He told me his side of the story. He was practically gloating at the fact that he'd land Joe in jail."

Con nodded, continuing. "We didn't know anything about Henry until Joe was brought in and gave us his statement. When your father gave us a copy of Sam Radley's report from the Southport police, Chief Collig contacted Chief Lansky himself about the report. While they were talking Chief Collig found out that the Southport police had also had reports from five students reporting abuse by Hayden. At the time Ryan Hayden was also the principal of that school. He, along with his brother disappeared before anything could be done."

"Right around the time Henry and his mother moved here." Joe concluded. "The Hayden brothers were probably with them. Mr. Ryan was covering up for Hayden and that's why nothing was done about the claims."

Con looked straight at Joe. "I am sorry Joe. I still feel bad about having to arrest you, but I had no other choice I was just… "

"Doing your job," Joe finished Con's sentence. "I know, it's okay, no hard feelings." He smiled, "Besides, I owe you after that little favor you did for me".

"Yes, you do." Con said, grinning thinking back to their secret of him helping Joe escape from jail. "Just keep yourself out of jail and we'll call it even."

"We can call it even, but I can't promise you the first part."

"What favor is that?" Carl asked his client curiously.

"Let's just say Con helped me with a magic trick." Joe answered.

"I can't believe this." Frank suddenly had a new found respect for the Bayport Police department, mainly Officer Con Riley and Chief Ezra Collig and the fact that they'd always believed that Joe was innocent. "So will this make a difference in Joe's case with other kids reporting abuse?"

"It could make a huge difference. With all those statements of abuse, it doesn't look good for Hayden." Carl said. "The pictures your father has of Henry's injuries could be used as evidence, if and when this case goes to trial".

"Henry wouldn't have to testify, would he?" Joe brought up a disturbing thought.

"I don't know." Carl said honestly. "I haven't been given the case, so I can't really give you a definite answer because the trial hasn't happened yet. Mr. Hayden's not even in police custody. It's too early to tell."

"But, you could represent Henry if it came to it…" Joe said slowly. "I mean he needs someone he can trust; someone who would do right by him".

Carl's heart went out to his young client and the concern he had for his friend. "Yes, Joe if it came to that. I would gladly represent Henry." He said to ease the younger Hardy's troubled mind.

Frank saw the worried look in his little brother's eyes. He put a hand on his shoulder, "Joe, we can't worry about that right now. Henry's not ready for that. He needs time to heal above anything else. Let's just concentrate on finding Hayden first."

"Okay." Joe nodded; he still couldn't shake the thought out of his head. Still, he forced himself to push it away for now. "You're right Frank; we have to find Hayden first. Where do you think we should start?"

"I'm sorry Joe, you'll have to sit this one out." Carl said, regret clear in his face and voice. "You're still in police custody."

Back in the room, the interrogation of Ryan Hayden was still going on. "Mr. Ryan, tell me." Fenton opened the folder and took out the pictures of Henry, picking them up to showed them to the principal. "Does this student look familiar to you?" Ryan's face paled, but still said nothing in response. So the Detective went on, "This is Henry Jacobs. This is the student, my son, Joe was trying to tell you about, in your office the other day". Fenton pointed at the pictures. "This is the student who Hayden verbally and physically attacked."

"Henry is also your nephew."

Again Ryan remained silent.

"Last night, your brother Jack beat Henry repeatedly with a belt before dragging him into the kitchen and beating him again, this time until he blacked out. Henry almost died." That last part sent chills down the detective's spine. "Thankfully by the grace of God that boy is alive."

Again, Fenton defended his son. "Joe didn't attack Hayden over a stupid homework assignment; he was only defending himself, his brother and a friend, who also happens to be your nephew, against Hayden".

"Your brother Jack hasn't thrilled about the idea of his son hanging around with my son because he didn't want anyone finding out about his dirty secret. Then Joe went to confront Hayden about the tutoring session last Friday and the abuse that took place the following Monday. Hayden knew right then that Joe knew and so he attacked Joe and threatened to hurt my other son, Frank."

"Hayden also knew Joe would be the wrong person to expose his dirty secret, because of him being my son. So, after the incident between Joe and Hayden, you decided to have Joe arrested to get him out of the way."

"We are also aware of what really happened that tutoring session; it also occurred in Southport when both you and your brother were there". He had to force himself to stay calm as he could feel his anger level rising. "Basically, Hayden would encourage other students to bully his own son. He had it all planned out".

"This was all to teach Henry to fight back like a man and to use his head. He tried to fight back only he'd be outnumbered. If and when he failed in defeating the bullies, he'd be in trouble with Hayden when he got home".

"Tell me Mr. Ryan, am I right?" Fenton asked hotly.

Ryan finally replied. "I knew Jack had gone too far when he went after your son. I told him to press charges on Joe and that I would take care of the rest."

"By having Brett and Johnny bully Henry into keeping quiet."

"Yes. Okay, maybe Jack took things a bit far. Henry is not all that bright. He has to learn to be a man and toughen up."

"'Maybe Jack went too far?' He almost killed his son!" Fenton shouted, shoving a picture of Henry's bruised face, in Ryan's face. "He used other students to bully him!"

""He even threatened to kill my son!" He pointed to the two-way mirror. "I have two teenage boys right outside this room watching, everything I do, and listening to every word I say. I do not expect them to be perfect, they know the difference between right and wrong, and are still learning. I do not want them, thinking, it is okay to raise a hand to their wives or kids."

"There is still a lot I need to teach them. I will not raise my hand or turn myself into a bully to make men out of them".

"Well, we're not all as privileged in getting to have such a doting father, like you 'Detective'. You don't know what it was like, growing up in our home!" Ryan fired back. "Jack took the brunt of every punishment our bastard of a father dished out. He always took the blame for me even when it wasn't his fault!"

"Those who are smart and strong survive in this world; the weak and stupid get trampled on. That's what Jack was trying to teach his son. Hopefully now Henry will survive".

A smothering silence then filled the room, as they all waited for someone to break it. Fenton took a step away from the man, fearing what he might do to him otherwise.

"Let's get back to why we're here." Chief Collig spoke up first. "Where can we find Jack Hayden?"

"I don't know." Ryan said firmly.

"This is hopeless." Joe stepped away from the window. He couldn't watch this anymore. A sickening feeling came over him. "Ryan's not going to give Hayden up; Cindy Hayden won't give him up." Joe slowly sat down in a chair next to him. "They're all protecting that jerk!"

"We'll never find Hayden now. I'm going to jail and the worst part of all of this is Henry will never get justice."


	15. Chapter 15

I want to thank KDesai, and CherylannRivers and Guest for your wonderful reviews I look forward to reading them. This chapter is a little short. Things are going to start getting a little darker in the next few chapters that's I'm currently working on, I am going to my time with it, because it's going to be a hard thing to write since the topic is on abuse. And you will get a glimpse,as to what that sequel could be like. Anyway here's my new chapter hope you like. :)

Pressure Chapter 15

Frank turned away from the window. He couldn't stomach any more of Ryan's interrogation. "Little brother, what do you mean it's hopeless? Are you telling me you're giving up already?" He turned his attention to Joe noting the defeated look on his face.

"We will find Hayden. And Henry will get justice."

"You're more confident about that than I am big brother, because I don't see that happening," Joe shook his head as he crossed his arms. His words and tone of voice were bleak as he spoke, "I'm starting to lose faith in Dad's justice system."

"Mr. Ryan was right when he said; "Those who are smart and strong survive in this world; the weak and stupid get trampled on."

"With an attitude like that you will. If you're going to give up, then there's no point for us to do our job is there?" Frank bluntly stated. "Let me ask you this; why did we want to be detectives?"

"To fight for what's right and to help those who are too afraid to speak up and defend themselves." Joe murmured, his answer sounded so hollow.

"That's right; to fight," Frank knelt in front of his brother, "Do you really want justice for Henry?"

"Yes, of course."

"Sitting on our asses and complaining about it is not going to make it happen." Joe just raised a brow at his brother's boldness. Frank continued on with, "I'm not saying it's going to be easy. In fact, we may get knocked down a few times, but as long as we don't give up and keep on fighting for what we want, which is justice for Henry, we'll get it".

"It's pretty hard to do that if my ass is sitting in jail". Joe said thickly. "I know I gave Con and the Chief my word that I'd turn myself in," Blue eyes met brown as a tear began to run down his cheek," but I can't."

The blond boy began rubbing his hands intermittently on his jeans. The giant bats started flying around in his stomach again and his left leg began bouncing nervously up and down. The thought of being put back into that cell terrified him. He could still hear the cell door slamming shut behind him and the click of the key locking him inside as the walls began closing in on him.

Breathing heavily, "I can't... go back." He gulped, trying to hold back the bile that was threatening to come up. Jumping to his feet, he bolted out of the police station, knocking over anyone or anything that was in his path.

"Joe!"

Frank was instantly on his feet, following his brother as police officers yelled at them to stop.

"Everybody stand down!" Con ordered his fellow officers. "I got this!" The officers reluctantly went back to what they'd been doing with low murmurs, some of them cleaning up the papers and objects that'd been knocked askew by the blond blur.

"Joe's not supposed to leave the station. He's still in police custody." Carl piped up worriedly.

"Thank you Carl; I'm well aware of that". Con directed a scowl at the lawyer.

Having known the Hardy boys for as long as he had, he couldn't help but feel protective towards them. In truth, he didn't want to put Joe back in his cell; he hated the thought of separating the brothers again. He certainly didn't want to go round two in a shouting match with Frank. Con silently cursed Hayden for this whole mess.

"You have to remember, Carl those boys have been through a lot the last couple days, Joe especially. We know them as the tough crime fighting teenage detective duo. I think we tend to forget that they are in fact still teenagers".

"Abuse cases are a tough thing to deal with," He said, placing a hand on his chest. "I know it is for me and I've been a cop for almost twenty years. It rips you up inside when you have to see gruesome pictures of bruised and battered children. It's ten times harder when you have to see them in person".

"I can't begin to imagine how those two teenagers are dealing with it. Frank and Joe were the first ones to find Henry all beat up and bruised. At the hospital, they heard the gritty details of the abuse from Henry himself. Henry and Joe have become really good friends through this huge ordeal. Frank and Joe have just finished standing at this window, listening as Ryan Hayden spewed out his part in all this. He knew his brother had been abusing students".

"They heard Johnny and Brett give their statements and talk about all the abuse they'd encountered at the hands of their teacher as well as principal".

"Finding out that Ryan Hayden had been the principal at Southport High School a year ago, where the same thing'd been happening last year was a complete shock to them."

"And lastly," Con added his final point, "Joe has to face the possibility of jail time, even if he was one of Hayden's victims. The kid is terrified of being locked up, with very good reason to be".

"I know, Officer Riley, I'm aware of everything you just said. And I understand the reason Joe is afraid. This whole thing is just awful. My heart goes out to everyone who's been hurt by Hayden. I do hope Joe does come back for the sake of his case." Carl expressed sympathetically before making a suggestion of his own. "Maybe we should inform Fenton and the Chief...?"

"No, not yet," the officer cut him off, "there's no need to get them riled up just yet. They're busy with questioning Ryan Hayden." Con said, holding off on that idea of dealing with the Chief's wrath, "I'll find them. Frank is probably right outside trying to calm Joe down as we speak, hopefully," He kept the last word to himself.

Con ran out the front door before Carl had a chance to respond. He ran down the front steps looking for the boys.

Officer Baker had driven the Hardys' black van home for them, the other night when they'd left it at Henry's. Con knew that as the boys had been on foot, they couldn't have gotten very far in the time they'd had. He scanned the street left and right of him. He looked at each face that passed by him. No sign of the Hardy boys anywhere.

"Riley!" He turned to see Officer Baker was running up to him. "Are you looking for the Hardy brothers?"

"Yes!" Came out breathlessly, "Which way did they go?" He asked hastily.

"The older one Frank… I think that's his name took off down the alleyway after his brother." Baker replied, pointing to the coffee shop that was a few blocks from the police station.

Without answering, Con ran towards the coffee shop, ignoring the questionable looks people would give him as he passed them, only stopping when he heard the words, "Joe, take it easy" coming from around the corner. Flattening himself against the wall, he poked his head cautiously around the corner.

To his relief he found the boys, but his heart sank when he saw Joe was bent over by the side of the building throwing up. Frank was standing beside his brother, rubbing his back in an effort to impart some comfort.

"Sir, did you find them?" Baker asked, coming up the senior officer. Con held out his hand to him keeping him from going any further. "Shouldn't we go see if they need assistance?" he asked, concerned after noticing the brothers.

"No, let's, let give them a minute." Con finally answered never taking his eyes off of the boys. Frank was all Joe needed right now, and knew that Frank could handle this.

Just seeing how affected Joe was after everything Hayden had done, so much so that it was making the boy physically ill was all the proof he needed. It was obvious that Hayden hadn't given a damn as to who he'd hurt. He couldn't wait to put the handcuffs on the man.

"Yes, sir, if you think that's best." Officer Baker replied, "Oh, by the way, I got a trace on that license plate number on that abandoned Toyota you asked me to run."

"And...?" Con was handed a piece of paper. Con's eyes widened after reading the message. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes sir, doubled checked it myself."

"I have to get this to the Chief. Good work Baker. This could be the break in the case we need." Con took one last look of the brothers before turning to his fellow officer. "Listen, I need you to stay here and keep an eye on the boys. I'll be back."

"Yes, sir!"

As Con hurried back inside the station he'd almost collided with Carl along the way. "Did you find the boys?" The lawyer asked quickly.

"Yes, they're right outside. Like I told you. They just need a minute. I have an officer keeping an eye on them. Look, I can't talk now; I have to see the Chief."

"Well, I guess it would be alright. I do need to call my office." Carl mumbled. "They'd better get their butts back in here."

"Riley! What in the hell is going on out here?!" The Chief's voice bellowed out, freezing everyone in their tracks.

Con cringed like a scolded child. He closed his eyes and huffed this is what he was trying to avoid. The police chief came into the room his red faced with anger all the way up to his hairline. He'd just taken Ryan Hayden to a cell, when he heard the chaos erupt.

Fenton came into the room and did a quick scan of the officers and of the mess of papers scatted through the precinct. "Where are my sons?" He asked, noting they were missing...

Back outside in the ally Joe had just finished vomiting for the third time he lifted the bottom of his shirt and wiped his mouth with it. Then he sat down resting on his back against the wall trying to catch his breath.

Frank sat down beside him continuing to rub his back. "Take slow and steady breaths." He said soothingly giving Joe a few minutes to collect himself. "That's it." Joe allowed himself to focus on the sound of his brother's voice to calm down.

Joe's time limit to be back in his cell was approaching; Frank was determined to do everything in his power to avoid Joe having to be back in there. He refused to be separated from Joe again- the thought of his brother being scared and alone just didn't sit well with him. It'd almost killed him the other night when he'd had to leave Joe, if he had to commit some small petty crime to be able to stay with his brother, he'd do it.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked gently.

"Yeah, I guess." Joe frowned after taking a calm breath. "I don't want to sit in jail. I want to join in the search for Hayden; I want to be there when Con slaps handcuffs on him and throws him into the back of a police car".

"After everything Hayden put us through, as well as Brett, Johnny and most importantly, Henry, we definitely deserve it". Joe felt his temper rising as he continued. "I can still picture him lying on the floor… his face all bloody and bruised."

"I know our friends are at the hospital keeping Henry in good company and making sure he's okay, but I want to be there to see for myself that he's okay. Mrs. Hayden, she was so adamant about wanting to see her son. What if either of them finds a way to get to him? What if Mrs. Hayden succeeds and tries to sneak him out of the hospital again? She's done it before. I mean, what if...?"

"Oh my god, Hayden!"

"Where is he?!" Joe exclaimed he started looking around for the teacher, but he was no where in sight. He looked back at Frank puzzled by his outburst.

"I promise you, little brother, we'll be there." Frank said, thinking out loud. A big grin slid across his face. "I know where Hayden is!"

"What...where and how can I go? I'm in police custody, remember? I've probably made things worse by taking off again. If I take off a third time, Chief Collig will jerk a knot in my tail for sure and if HE doesn't, I know Dad will".

"I hope they have a cell that's big enough for both of us".

"Frank, you're crazy. I can't let you..."

"We're partners are we not?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Then it's you and me against the world. Because, I'm not letting you go to jail alone. So that makes me your accomplice." Frank said, holding out his hand to Joe. "What do you say partner, are you with me?"

Joe studied his brother's face for a minute. Frank was serious. He was serious in wanting to go to jail with him, for him. He had the best big brother in the whole world.

Maybe they really were crazy masterminds? Joe smiled, shaking Frank's hand in agreement. "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather share a cell with. Yes, I'm with you big brother. Partners in crime?"

"Partners in crime. Good now let's go."

"Okay, now answer me this partner; where are we going? Are you going to tell me where Hayden is?" Joe questioned.

"Yes, Henry's house!" Frank spoke loudly, glancing over his shoulder at Officer Baker, hoping he'd heard him. "But first, we need to run home and get the van!"

"Why are you shouting? And, how are we going to get past Officer Baker?" Joe asked, noting the officer standing on the corner of the building. He could almost see a plan brewing in his brother's head.

"Just keeping the officer informed. And to answer your next question, we simply make a run for it. We only live about five blocks away. It'll be quicker to take the shortcuts through the alley; I doubt Officer Baker knows the shortcuts."

"Okay, let's go partner." Joe said as the brothers got up on their feet and took off.


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you everyone for reading ad reviewing and any following along. I'm currently working on the next two chapters I have to say thing are about to get gritty for the Hardy brothers, before things get better. If your a Spider-Man fan your going to like it. Here's my new chapter let me know what you think.

Pressure Chapter 16

"Where are my boys?" Fenton asked again. It was more of a demand than a question. He had a gut feeling he wasn't going to like the response.

Con suddenly felt all eyes on him. He opened his mouth to speak, "Joe…"

"Riley!" Baker burst through the front doors, panting, "The boys took off down the alley; I ran after them for a few minutes before losing them".

"Riley, you better explain now." Chief Collig growled. "Joe wasn't supposed to leave."

"Oh, this isn't good, not good at all." Carl took a white handkerchief from his pocket and began to mop the sweat from his forehead.

"Con what happened?" Fenton asked, doing his best to remain calm though he was inwardly in complete panic mode.

Con sighed wearily. He quickly began to explain about the boys being upset from listening in on Johnny and Brett's startling confessions, plus the ten classmates Hayden had abused, and listening to Ryan Hayden's interrogation. "Joe was really upset that Henry wasn't going to get justice."

Fenton's face blanched when Con ended his tale with Joe's being physically sick in the alley behind the coffee shop, all from fear of being locked up.

"I shouldn't have let the boys leave the station." The officer said, feeling guilty. "When I saw Joe getting sick, I thought he needed time to calm down, and that Frank would take care of him. I take full responsibility for them taking off…"

"Let's not worry about that now. We need to find the boys." The detective said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. Fenton understood Con's reason for trying to look out for his sons. He couldn't have been more grateful. He mentally began kicking himself. He'd been so caught up with his own anger towards the Hayden brothers he'd failed to prepare his sons for the startling news of Hayden's abusing other students.

"Yes, we will be talking about this later, Officer Riley," Chief Collig replied after having simmered down a bit. "Let's find the boys, first. If they took off down the alley behind the coffee shop then they'd probably be heading towards home." He looked at Fenton.

"Yes, but if I know my boys they're not going to run home and hide under their covers, if anything they're heading home to get their van to go look for Hayden." The detective's stomach churned; he didn't need to question himself a second time, he knew exactly what his sons would do. "The boys are going to make sure that Henry gets justice."

After seeing the look of worry in the father's eyes, Con gave him a slight nod of reassurance. He reluctantly handed the chief a folded white piece of paper, "We got a trace on that license plate number from that abandoned Toyota."

"The vehicle is registered under the name, Cindy Jacobs."

"Isn't Cindy Jacobs and Cindy Hayden the same person?" Officer Baker asked in confusion.

"Yes, it is, why do you ask?" Chief Collig asked the young officer.

"Well, I overheard the older boy Frank; mention Cindy Hayden's name and that he knew where to find Jack Hayden."

"We need to get to Henry's house now." Fenton's worry increased as Officer Baker confirmed that that was exactly where his boys were heading. "I have a feeling we'll find the boys there."

"We need to find them before Hayden does," Chief Collig advised, "IF he is there, he'll be desperate and dangerous and out for revenge, especially against Joe".

"I'm going to call Sam and have him meet us there." Fenton took his phone out of his pocket as they headed out the door. He silently prayed that they weren't too late.

* * *

"I guess we're partners in crime for sure." Joe commented from the passenger seat. "We're in so much trouble, not only with Chief Collig, but with Dad as well. I can't help but feel guilty for running off after giving them my word I'd turn myself in and stay put".

"Yeah, I know that feeling." Frank replied, regret clear in his voice. "I'm not exactly thrilled about that either. Dad'll figure out where we are eventually. If not, I'm sure Officer Baker's told them by now".

It was mid afternoon by the time the Hardy brothers made their way across town. They were now sitting in their van not more than two houses down from Henry's house.

Joe shook his blond head, "I still can't believe that other kids were also being abused by Hayden." His stomach was still queasy at the thought. "And that the Chief and Con keeping the whole thing under wraps. I am grateful for what they did and the fact that they believed in me. That means a lot to me."

Silence began to build between the brothers; Frank glanced out the window before turning back to his brother to see a sad look on his face.

He could read his brother's mind. "You're thinking about Henry aren't you?" He shattered the silence.

"Yeah, I know he's in good hands with our friends and all. It's just… I have a feeling something's wrong. I need to know everything's okay."

"Let's call Phil and find out." Frank took out his phone and dialed the number.

"Hello." Phil's voice answered after the second ring.

"Phil, it's Frank, I'm just checking in. How are things going?"

There was a short pause and then _…"_ Things are going fine… now."

"What do you mean now? Is Henry okay?"

Joe's eyes widened upon hearing the concern in his brother's voice. Looking at Frank, he raised his eyebrows mouthing, "what?" When Frank didn't respond, Joe reached out to snatch the phone from Frank but Frank used his shoulder in order to block him. "Put your phone on speaker so I can listen in".

 _"_ Phil, hold on. I'm going to put you on speaker". Frank pushed a button on his phone so Joe could hear. "Okay, now what's going on? Where are you?"

"I'm in the waiting room with Tony. Chet's sitting with Henry at the moment."

"Phil?" Joe asked impatiently. "What's going on?"

"Joe?"

"Yeah it's me."

"I didn't expect to hear from you… I mean…I thought you'd be in jail."

"Well at the moment I'm not."

"What...how…"

"I'll explain later Phil, can we get back to Henry please."

"Sorry, Joe, yeah okay about Henry. Just after you guys left the hospital. Dr. Bryce came out and told us that Henry woke up screaming from a nightmare of his father beating him with a belt. Then he screamed, "Where's Joe! Where's Joe!"

Joe's stomach churned as the brothers continued to listen to Phil's explanation.

"He's worried Hayden's going to follow through on his threat to kill Joe."

"The doctor didn't tell him where Joe was, but he reassured him that Joe was just fine; he had to go take care of things with Mr. Hardy. And that Mr. Hardy would make sure Joe was safe. I guess Henry did calm down after hearing that."

"Dr. Bryce told us we could take turns sitting with Henry, but no more than one at a time. He wanted us to try and distract him from thinking of Hayden and worrying about Joe."

"It took him a while to warm up to us. Callie went in to see him first although she didn't get a chance to talk to him; he was asleep or at least pretending to be."

"Henry was fully awake when Tony took his turn to sit with him. He gave Henry the magazines and comics that we brought him. Tony came back into the waiting room only a few minutes after he'd left to see Henry. He said out of the blue Henry got angry and threw them on the floor across the room. He yelled at him to get out."

"Henry got violent with Tony?" Frank questioned, a little alarmed to hear of the boy's sudden change in behavior. "Is Tony okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Tony came on the line. Frank could tell by the tone of his friend's voice that he was still a little rattled by the incident. "I guess giving him those magazines and comics was a bad idea, given his dyslexic situation."

"So I went in to try to talk to him." Phil came back on the line. "Henry was crying when I went in. I asked him if he was okay. He said he felt bad for blowing up at Tony the way he did, he wasn't sure why he'd done it. I kept reassuring him that Tony was fine."

"I quickly changed the subject by asking him about his hobbies and things that he enjoys doing. All I got were vague answers like, 'I don't know' or a shrug of the shoulders."

"He did seem interested when I told him the story about my cousin Seth being dyslexic, I even told him that once he's released from the hospital and he's up to having company, that I would make arrangements for him to meet Seth. Henry did agree to it. But, I don't know if he was actually interested or he was just agreeing to it so I'd leave the room."

"So, Henry's okay now." Joe prompted.

"Well, yes and no..." Phil drew out his answer. "That is, until Biff took his turn."

"What happened?"

"Henry freaked out. He started screaming, "Don't hit me! Don't hit me!"

Joe exchanged concerned looks with Frank. Henry's sudden change in behavior was really starting to bother them both. This wasn't sounding good at all. Clearly Henry was having some issues; neither of them liked the fact that that their friends were getting the brunt of it. Then a thought had Joe speaking up, needing to voice it.

"You know if you think about it, most of the kids involved in the beatings have one thing in common with Biff. They're all big guys, Johnny, Brett, Hayden; it's understandable that Biff's muscularity would be intimidating to Henry."

"The doctor told us not to take anything Henry says or does to heart; he's probably processing everything he's been through. He's going to be a little resistant towards male figures." Phil replied. "Even Dr. Bryce has to be careful with how he approaches Henry. He has a nurse go in with him when he goes to examine him".

"He also mentioned that anxiety and depression are a frequent complication in dyslexia. Although most dyslexics are not depressed, children can be at a higher risk for intense feelings of sorrow and pain. Dr. Bryce is making arrangements for a female psychiatrist to come in and talk to Henry. He's got a lot to sort out; mentally, physically and emotionally."

"Wow, the poor kid has a lot going on." Frank let out a sigh. Frank glanced over and Joe saw the puzzled look on his face as he tried to process everything Phil was saying.

"Where is Biff now?"

"He was so upset about the whole thing, he had to leave. Callie went after him to make sure he was okay," Phil replied.

"Wait, you said Chet was sitting with Henry. Chet's appearance doesn't bother him?"

"Well… you're probably not going to believe this. Spider-Man has a lot to do with it."

Frank lifted his eyebrows at this remark. "Did you say Spider-man?" He repeated exchanging puzzled looks with Joe. "You mean the fictional superhero character?"

"Yes, I did. Chet's latest hobby, one hundred one or something like that just happens to be collecting Marvel comic books. Chet had one of his comic books with him, which happens to be Spider-Man. He sat down at Henry's bedside and began reading the comic."

"Well, that got Henry's attention. It appears he's a huge Spider-Man fan. Apparently it had a calming effect. Dr. Bryce said that when he left they were in deep discussion over the comic".

"Way to go Chet." Frank smiled. He was thankful that his stout friend was able to distract Henry from his problems. Who knew Chet's hobbies would pay off.

"Phil, listen, it might be a while before Joe and I can be at the hospital." In all seriousness he then added before hanging up, "I know you're all there for Henry out of the kindness of your heart. If being there with Henry makes you feel uncomfortable, you can leave anytime you want. You guys are not obligated to stay. No one will hold you to it."

"Yes, I know. We're all going to take a break from here, check in with our parents and maybe grab some lunch. We'll decide what we're going to do. Tony and I are waiting for Chet. The doctor's going to give something to Henry to help him sleep."

"Okay, I have to go. Call me if anything comes up."

"I will."

After saying goodbye to Phil, Frank hung up his phone. He took another quick glance at Joe who was sitting quietly as he stared out the window. Frank could tell he was upset.

"Joe, look at me."

Joe turned his head to look at Frank, all teary-eyed.

"I'm going to say something you're not going to like, but it has to be said. I know Henry's your friend…"

"I thought Henry was your friend too." Joe abruptly cut him off. "What happened to giving our friends our trust and respect?"

"So are Phil, Tony, Biff, and Chet. My loyalty to them comes first." Frank shot back. "My trust and respect for Henry broke when they got hurt. It never occurred to me that Henry would treat them the way he did."

"This is all Hayden's fault. He's to blame for this not Henry." Joe argued, wiping away his angry tears. "I know he didn't mean to hurt them. He needs help. I'm going to stand by him no matter what."

"It may be help you can't give him. Henry needs a professional to help him work out his issues. Abusive cycles repeat, Joe. I don't want him hurting you, Callie, or any of the others. It's too early to tell right now, but it's possible that Henry inherited some of Hayden's abusive traits." Frank stated his point. "We don't know what kind of situation we're getting into with him. Until then I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on him."

A flood of emotions began to seep into his voice "It hurts my heart watching you worry yourself to death over Henry. When I saw you go into full panic mode and run out of the police station, so completely terrified of being locked up to the point where it made you sick, that was the last straw for me."

Frank ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how much more of this case I can take. I still have a very vivid picture of Henry's injuries in my head".

"I can't…do this." Frank quickly wiped the tears away. He hated feeling like this, and quickly composed himself. "I'm not doing this now. Now is not the time to be crying..."

"Frank, I'm sorry. I never realized this case was stressing you out so much." Joe reached over and gave his brother's arm a squeeze. "It's okay to cry; you need to let it out. You did at the hospital with Dad; why won't you cry in front of me? Why am I any different?"

"Can we talk about this later?" Frank answered with a question. Joe knew by the serious tone and the expression on his brother's face that there was no point in arguing. "Okay, fine, just know we will be talking about this."

He quickly changed the subject, "Let's do what we came here to do find Hayden. What makes you think Hayden's even there? The police have already searched the place; he's a pretty big guy he can't be that hard to miss."

"Call it a hunch." Frank answered getting back to the subject at hand. He went on to elaborate. "Do you remember when we were standing outside of Prito's and I told you, I didn't feel right about, leaving Henry home alone?"

Joe nodded. That was the day he'd got arrested, not a day he'd be likely to forget.

"Are you thinking that Hayden's been in the house this whole time?"

"Yes. I do."

"I don't understand, how?"

"It's not a question of how, but more of a question of who. Who is hiding him? Who keeps on protecting him? Ryan Hayden is currently in jail so that leaves only one other person."

"Cindy Hayden." Joe answered. It made perfect sense.

"She's been protecting Hayden since day one, because she still loves him. In some weird twisted way she thinks she is helping him. Even if it meant she had to sacrifice her own son." Frank ran a hand through his hair. "Although we don't know their history, how long they've been together. I'm just guessing but it is possible that the abuse started before Henry was born".

"Hayden must have been with her the other day at the hospital outside waiting." Joe said quietly let Frank's words sink in, "Then that means that the only reason she was at the hospital was to get her son. So they'd be able to disappear like they did before. She needs Henry in order to hold on to Hayden" Joe said quietly as he let Frank's words sink in."

"She's a victim of his abuse as well. He probably knows how to manipulate her, play into her insecurities just to get what he wants. I imagine there's a part of her that does love her son, and Henry's probably part of Hayden's manipulations."

"Hopefully Dad will find a safe place for Henry where he'll never be hurt again."

Joe did not understand this; how could anyone understand this. Joe thought of his own parents. Fenton and Laura Hardy were kind and loving people who respected one another. Yes, they'd had their disagreements and arguements, but they always worked things out in the end. They'd never raised a hand to him or Frank when disciplining them.

Their parents had always found it more effective to sit down with their children and talk things out when disciplining them. They'd had a way of explaining things to their children to help them understand what they'd done were wrong. Violence was never an option in their house.

"What are we waiting for?" Joe started to get out of the van but stopped when Frank lay a hand on his arm.

"Joe, if Hayden is in there, he will be desperate and dangerous." Frank took a deep breath, "You stay with me. Don't do anything stupid. We'll check to see if he's there, then we come back to the van and call Dad".

Seeing the seriousness in Frank's eyes Joe knew his brother was right. "Okay". He agreed as he stepped out of the van. "Please be careful".

Frank nodded his head. "The same goes to you." He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach; he knew Hayden was in there.

The brothers quietly crept up to the front porch, being careful not to kick on any loose planks. There were no lights on in the house; Frank tried to peer between the gaps of the plank across the window, but it was futile.

"Frank, maybe one of us should check around back." Joe whispered his idea.

"No, that is a bad idea." Frank adamantly shook his head.

"We have a better chance of spotting Hayden if we split up." Joe argued his point. "If one of us gets into trouble then the other one will call 911."

Frank didn't like the idea but knew it was probably their best shot. After giving it some thought, he let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, but any sign of trouble, you yell for help".

"Okay," Joe agreed as he disappeared around the side of the house.

God, I have a bad feeling about this". Frank said, now regretting his decision of going with Joe's idea and setting off to go find his brother. Suddenly he heard a noise behind him, "Joe..." Before he could finish his sentence, Frank felt something crash into the back of head then everything went black.


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you to KDesai, and CherylannRivers and everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter. As I have said things are about to get gritty for the Hardy boys in this chapter. I hope this counts as some Joe whomp, I did my best. forgive for what I did to the boys. **I have to put a *WARNING on here due to abuse happening in this chapter, with graphic violence and language, I would also suggest you not eat any thing while reading this chapters. I felt I had to do it this way because abuse is real.**

Pressure chapter 17

Frank woke slowly, a searing pain shooting through the back of his head. Cold, drafty air that smelled kind of stale assaulted his nose. It made him think of a basement or cellar. He let his brown eyes adjust to the darkness of the room.

A shiver ran down his back, making him aware of the fact that his shirt was missing for the first time. What the heck? He lifted his head slightly and tried to move his hands. Having no success there, he lifted his head a little higher; straining his eyes he saw his hands were restrained, tied to metal bars situated in front of him.

He was lying on his stomach on a bed that had been peeled down to the mattress. Trying to move his feet with no luck he realized they were also tied to a bedpost. His socks and shoes were missing too!

What the heck was going on here?! Where was he? He fought the urge to panic. He had to stay calm and think!

Suddenly, a wave of memories flooded his mind. There had been a noise that'd startled him...something had hit the back of his head...after that...nothing

I'm in Henry's house! Oh god Hayden! Frank's eyes widened as the realization hit him. Joe! Where was Joe?

"Joe!"

Not getting an instant response from his brother, Frank was starting to panic just as he thought he caught the faint sound of someone moaning to his left. Frank calmed his breathing to listen and heard it again, "Oooo".

"Joe!" Ignoring his pounding headache Frank began pulling against the ropes, but the ropes were too tight, almost cutting off the circulation around his wrists. It hurt like hell.

"Joe!"

No response.

"Little brother, answer me! Joe!"

Frank finally let out his breath when he heard his name, "Frank!" He lay still for a moment in order to pull himself together.

"What the hell..." Joe's eyes fluttered open. His vision was blurry and he still felt a bit disoriented. "Where am I?"

"Where's Frank? What is this?!" He started to panic as his heart rate sped up; he was lying on his stomach, shirtless, with his hands tied to metal bars on the headboard, his feet likewise tied to the bedposts. And his socks and shoes were missing. He looked around noting he was in some drafty dark cold room.

"Frank! Frank!"

"Joe! I'm right here!"

Joe turned his head to the sound of his brother's voice. "Frank, what's going on!?" he started pulling against the ropes trying to loosen them. He hissed at the pain coming from his too tightly bound wrists and ankles. "I remember running around… the back of the house…standing on the back porch… I heard a noise behind me…hit me on the back of the head…."

"That would be me." A gruff voice answered. The boys froze at the sound a door creaking open followed by heavy footsteps coming down a flight of stairs.

"Hayden." Joe said breathlessly. His heart was beating so fast he thought it would burst from his chest at any moment.

Hayden reached up and pulled a small chain from the ceiling lamp, the flick of the light temporarily blinding the boys. The boys blinked, carefully looking around as their vision cleared. There he was, the big burly man stood between them.

He greeted the boys in a polite manner. "Hello boys, this is quite an unexpected visit. I'd like to welcome you to my humble abode. Forgive the accommodations," He smirked at the sight of his young guests tied securely to their beds. "If I had known you were coming, I would've prepared something more suitable for you. Please make yourselves at home."

"You can stop with all the hospitality crap...It's over Hayden." The elder Hardy boy growled, grunting in pain as the ropes pulled against the raw cuts on his wrists. "The police know all about how you were abusing your students…. Henry...the deranged tutoring sessions...everything! They'll be here any second to lock your sorry ass up!"

Frank hadn't forgotten about Hayden's threats to kill Joe; Henry's warnings were always at the back of his mind. _"You can't stop him… Jack means what he says... He'll kill you if I do... Henry's worried Hayden's going to follow through on his threat to kill Joe… Jack means what he says…"_ He had to be calm and stay in control; he had to get Joe out of here.

"It's not over, until I beat the living snot out of the both of you." Hayden said coolly.

"Jack, don't do this!" Cindy Hayden shouted, running frantically down the stairs. The boys saw she was sporting an ugly black eye and a huge bruise on the left side of her face. This was obviously more of Hayden's handiwork. "You can't hurt these boys!"

With angry tears rolling down her face she made a final plea, "Make a trade with Fenton Hardy; his boys for Henry! Once we have Henry we can leave!" She stopped to catch her breath then seemed to gather her strength and shouted. "If you hurt them, we'll never get him back!"

"SHUT UP YOU STUPID BITCH! YOU DON'T ORDER ME AROUND!" Hayden roared, backhanding the woman's face, causing her head to snap to the side. It was as though someone had flipped a switch; the man's face went from red to almost purple with anger. "YOU WANT YOUR SON BACK? THEN DO WHAT I SAY!" Cindy threw a hand to her face, shielding the hurt area as she turned and ran up the stairs crying.

"Leave her alone!" Joe exploded, pulling against the ropes. "You big piece of sh..!"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you." Hayden hissed clamping a beefy hand on the boy's mouth. Joe just glared up at him grinning, "Big mistake" and bit the teacher's hand.

"Ah! Damn kid! You're going to pay for that!" Hayden bellowed as he belted the boy hard across the face, much as he'd done to his wife not long ago.

Joe could taste blood in his mouth and on his bottom lip as he gently probed the area with the tip of his tongue. He was seeing stars, but it didn't stop him. "You'll never get Henry back!"

The teacher got down on his knees so he could be at eye level with the teen, sending him an icy stare that nearly stopped the boy's heart. "You listen to me you little shit! Henry belongs to me! No one is going to take him from me!"

Hayden stood up and took off his belt. "I will get him back, but…first a little revenge for all the trouble you've caused." Hayden held up the belt folding it with a loud "snap!" before folding it into a loop. "I've been waiting for this moment ever since our little encounter in my classroom. I'm going to whip the skin off of you, until there's nothing left."

"Go ahead. I'm not afraid of you." Joe shot back through clenched teeth. His jaw felt like it was on fire as he licked the blood from his busted lip. He could do this. He could do this. If this was what it took to get Henry some justice, he could totally do this. That was his motivation to keep it together.

He could be strong and fearless. Joe prayed that Hayden didn't see his body shaking in fear. He wasn't going to give this poor excuse for a teacher the satisfaction. It's no big deal right? He fought bad guys all the time; he'd been locked up, tied and beaten up. He should be used to it by now. It comes with the territory of being a detective; it's no big deal, right? Wrong.

"Very well. It'll be over soon as long as you don't, utter any sound or shed any tears. Just take it like a man". Hayden said coldly.

"The not moving part, I got." Joe tugged on the ropes around his wrists to prove his point. "Not a word!" Hayden spat in his ear. Joe could feel his hot breath on the back of his neck and couldn't help but shiver as he felt the loop in the belt trace a path down the middle of his back.

The teacher stood over the younger Hardy. He pulled his arm back and held the belt in position ready to strike.

"Don't touch my brother!" Frank snapped, stopping the man before he did. The blow to his brother's face had made his blood boil, but the idea of that man beating him with a belt sent fire raging through his body. Oh hell no!

"You touch him… and I'll kill you!" He pulled on the ropes holding his arms, so hard that blood started running down his arms. Frank blocked out the pain; nothing mattered except his brother. He simply had to get to him.

Hayden lowered the belt to his side. Joe let out a sigh of relief; he was saved for the moment. Hayden stared at Frank for the longest time, as if mulling something over in his head. Then all at once, a mischievous grin slid across his face. "Ah, yes, the big brother."

"I recognize the signs." Hayden turned his attention to the elder Hardy boy. "You know Frankie, you and I are a lot alike".

Frank narrowed his eyes at him. "I am nothing like you." He snarled.

"Oh that's where you're wrong." Hayden knelt down beside Frank. "You and I are the protective elder brothers. It's our job to look after our younger siblings." He shrugged. "Or at least, I would. Do you love your little brother? Wouldn't you do anything for him?"

"Yes and yes." Frank said evenly. "What do you want?"

"My father had this saying, those who are smart and strong survive in this world; the weak and stupid get trampled on. So, in order to test out our manhood he would come into our room every night and beat us with his belt. My brother and I shared a room, kind of like this one."

Frank's eyes quickly took in the room; one side was messy and clearly unorganized. The bed that Joe was tied to had been stripped down to the mattress, just like the bed he was on. Books and clothes were scattered around on the floor. There were even clothes sticking out of a drawer on the far corner. On top of the dresser was a sketch pad and a cup, filled with coloring pencils and markers.

There were detailed sketches of comic or cartoon characters plastered all over the tan-colored paneled walls. The next thing he saw was something that made his skin crawl; on the walls were dried red-brown splatter of what he hoped was paint. This was right beside a closet that had a large poster of Spider-Man covering the length of the door that Frank saw, had a padlock on it.

They were definitely in a room in the basement, or more precisely what Frank guessed to be Henry's bedroom. His eyes fell back on the padlock on the closet door. The detective part in him wanted to know what that was about, however the other part of him was afraid to find out.

The teacher continued on, "If you were to shed a single tear during the beatings you were considered weak and stupid. But if you took it like a man, you were strong and smart. I will instill it into my son, the same way it was instilled in me, one way or the other".

"Having dyslexia doesn't mean that Henry is weak or stupid." Frank blurted out as he racked his brain trying to figure a way out of this mess.

Hayden just stared at him. "Yeah, we know Henry is dyslexic." Frank answered the unspoken question. He was probably treading on thin ice here, but he had no choice. He had to buy time for his dad and the police to arrive. And, of course he would do everything he could to keep the attention off of Joe.

"Henry is smart. I know he is. Just look at the sketches on the walls. I'm guessing your son did that. He just has trouble when it comes to letters and words".

"Words are in our everyday life. Henry needs to learn what they mean to survive in school and in life. Henry's only going to see his dyslexia as something negative because of your tutoring sessions". He's not going to want to learn if it means he's going to get hit every time he makes a mistake."

"There are learning techniques and people who can help Henry learn to read and write. Henry needs to see dyslexia as a positive thing. It is a gift. And as advanced as technology is today, why not do some research to find a better way to help him? As an educator...a teacher, and I use that term loosely... Mr. Hayden, I'd think you'd know to do that".

"Your little speech is very informative." The teacher replied. "And I'm well aware of what's wrong with my son."

"Wow, is your big ego bruised that much?" Joe piped up. He was pushing the limit now and he knew it. "Are you embarrassed to have a son with a learning disability? I think it's pretty cruel of you to force other students into beating him up."

"How many beatings is it going to take to make a man out of him? Are you going to beat him until he d-dies?" He stumbled slightly on the last word. "Would the fact that you'd have to do that make him a loser?"

"Henry isn't dead now is he?" Hayden countered smoothly. "Maybe there's a man somewhere in him after all, my method is proving to be effective. I have plenty of time to teach him. Just like my father the educator, the teacher taught me when he was told that I had it."

"What?" Frank said as he put the pieces together. Dyslexia was inherited. "You mean you're…"

"Dyslexic, yup". Hayden rudely cut in, "Although in my day, there wasn't a fancy name for it. John Sr.'s choice of words ran more like 'Throwback!' 'Dumbass!' 'Idiot!' 'Retard!' And his personal favorite was, "stupid kid!"

The brothers were starting to understand the abusive life cycle of the Hayden family tree. They prayed to God, that Henry would be the one to break that cycle.

"Now, let's get back to a more pressing matter. I have a question for you." Hayden tapped the loop of the leather belt on his chin and then held it up meeting Frank at eye level.

"As the protective older brother, I always took the beating for my younger brother; he wasn't exactly the brightest tool in the shed either."

Joe's eyes widened. "No," he gasped in horror. He knew where this was going. Oh, his dad had better hurry!

"Tell me Frank," Hayden said, completely ignoring the younger Hardy. "How much do you love your little brother? And don't think I've forgotten about our little encounter at the hospital."

Frank swallowed the lump in his throat; he had a feeling he knew where this was going. Was he scared out of his mind? Yes. Yes he was. Did he want to cry? Yes. But, no way was he going to let Hayden see it.

How much did he love his brother? The answer was simple. He knew what he had to do. Frank looked at the teacher and said straight out, "I'll take it." He began mentally preparing himself for what was about to happen. He could handle the pain; he had to. He had to be strong and fearless, it was his job as elder brother, to protect Joe.

"No! Please… please… Hayden you can't…do this… Frank no!" Joe screamed with tears streaming down his face. "No! Frank! Frank no! Please… please… Hayden you can't…do this… Frank no!" He was pulling at the ropes so hard blood trickled down his wrists and ankles.

"I'll take it! It's my fault! I caused you all this trouble! Remember it was me who hit you; you were sent to the hospital because of me… If you want to take out your revenge out on someone, take it out on me! Please don't hit my brother!"

"No! I'll take it!" Frank negotiated with his adversary. His heart was pounding profusely; he took a deep breath to calm down. "Hayden, listen to me! You can beat me all you want. I won't move, or say anything, not one tear will you get from me." He took another breath and said, "All I ask, as one elder sibling to another, is that you don't force Joe to watch."

"I am impressed by the level of affection the two of you have for each other. Brotherly love at its finest; this makes my decision very difficult. Whom shall I choose?" Hayden rubbed his chin as he weighed the pros and cons of each brother and their different offers.

An intense silence fell on the room as the boys waited for the man to decide their fate.

"Alright, wait here." Hayden chuckled, finding this whole situation humorous. The boys watched intently as the teacher walked over to the dresser and put down the belt and instead picked up a knife that boasted a six-inch long blade.

To Frank's horror the teacher went over to Joe. "NO! What are you doing!?"

Ignoring the older boy's question Hayden pointed the knife at Joe. "You move or utter a word and I will slit your brother's throat". Then he pointed the blade in Frank's direction.

Joe glared up at the abusive teacher. He hated him with a passion and would have normally laid into him with all he had for all the evil things he'd done. Normally. But when Frank's life was on the line...he couldn't risk doing anything impulsive. He licked the bottom of his sore bloody lip.

Hayden used the blade of the knife to cut the ropes from the boy's wrists and ankles; Joe was relieved to feel the pressure disappear.

Joe felt instant relief when his blood soaked wrists were finally freed. However his relief was short lived as he felt the weight of a knee being pressed into the small of his back.

"Open your mouth!" the big man commanded. Joe opened his mouth, "Hold still unless you want to eat this blade." Joe froze, afraid to move even a muscle, even to swallow as he clenched the metal blade between his teeth. He could taste the metal and blood. His busted lip still hurt like hell.

Hayden pulled the boy's arms behind his back and used the rope to once more bind the boy's wrists. Joe held the knife as steady as he could and had to fight the urge to flinch as the rope was pulled painfully tight around his wrists causing fresh blood to run down his arms as his fingers began to lose feeling.

Frank watched the frightening scene play out in front of him. "Hayden, stop this!"

Hayden ripped the knife from Joe's mouth, not caring in the slightest when he cut the sides of Joe's mouth. Joe moaned in agony. "Ahh!" He pressed the blood and saliva covered knife against his neck. "Shut up or I'll slit your brother's throat."

Frank watched helplessly as Hayden dragged his brother off the bed and pulled him to his wobbly feet. He could see the pure fear in his blue eyes as blood ran out his mouth and down his chin.

Frank could see that Joe was unsteady, barely able to stand as his feet were numb from being bound for so long. The knife was pressed against his throat as Hayden pulled him over to the wall by the closet.

Joe spat out some blood as his body was pinned against the wall, Hayden's weight holding him in place. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the poster of the iconic character. Spidey, I could really use your help right about now.

Hayden threw the knife to the floor before fishing a key out of his pocket and inserting it into the padlock. Opening the door, he shoved the teen inside. Joe landed on some dirty, smelly blankets with a thump.

"Don't worry," Joe heard as the door shut and locked, leaving him in the dark. "Once I'm done with your brother, it'll be your turn".

Joe's heart was racing, "No, no, no, no!" He just lay there, trying to catch his breath. The giant bats in his stomach were coming alive again. It was like he was back in the jail cell; the walls began to close in on him once more.

Then he heard tiny squeaking sounds and the scamper of little paws. What the heck... "Oh God! No!" He kicked out at the door. "Let me out! Let me out!"

"Joe!" Frank shouted. Joe didn't have his shoes that, which meant no lock picks. His fear was being played on, trapped alone in a small room he had no way out. "Hayden, let him now!"

"You didn't want him to watch me beat you. Well he's not going to."

"I thought about killing your brother, now that I know his fear torturing him is much more fun." Hayden smiled. "Don't worry he's not alone. He has friends in there to keep him company."

"NO! God, no!" The sound of more kicking came from behind the door. "Get 'em off! Get 'em off! Let me out! Please! Frank!"

"Joe!"

"See he's not alone." The teacher shrugged.

"FRANK!"

"LET JOE OUT OF THERE NOW!" Frank exploded, pulling forcefully on the ropes restraining his hands and feet. He was going to break the bed if he had to! Damn this hurt!

"No." Hayden answered simply. He took the belt off the dresser and made his way over to Frank. "Now let's have some fun."


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you to KDesai, and CherylannRivers and everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter. I'm going to start winding things down. Again **I have to put a *WARNING on here due to abuse happening in this chapter, with graphic violence and language, And again I would strongly suggest you not eat any thing while reading this chapter. I felt I had to do it this way because abuse is real. Happy 4th of July!**

Pressure chapter 18

 _"Police!"_

Hayden looked up, just in time to see the door get violently kicked out. Chief Collig and Officers Riley and Baker filed down the steps, guns pointing straight at his head. Fenton Hardy and Sam Radley were right on their heels, their own guns drawn.

"Hayden back away from the boy now!" Chief Collig ordered.

Fenton gasped in shock, seeing his eldest child lying shirtless on a dirty mattress, hands and feet tied up with streaks of blood showing under the ropes. Frank was staring straight ahead at the wall as rivulets of sweat and tears ran down his face.

And there was Hayden with a belt clutched in his hand, ready to tear into Frank's flesh.

He saw red. He lost it. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" The Detective took off down the steps and lunged at Hayden grabbing him by the front of his shirt, shoving the man up against the wall.

"YOU HURT MY BOYS! NOW YOU GET TO DEAL WITH ME!"

Frank let out the breath he'd been holding as he wearily dropped his head to rest on his arms. "Oh, thank God." He'd never felt so grateful for his father...any more time and...

Fenton snarled angrily. "Here's a taste of your own medicine!" He jerked the belt out of the teacher's hand and then wrapped it around his neck.

'He's… crazy!" Hayden shouted, as he played the victim. Gasping, he clawed at the belt around his throat, struggling to break free. Fenton tightened his grip. "He's trying...to kill me!"

"Shut up!" Chief Collig fired back. He couldn't blame Fenton really; Hayden had been in the process of beating his son when they'd come in. As much as he'd love to let the detective choke the life out of the animal, he couldn't allow him to actually succeed. Things had to be done the legal way. "Fenton, step away from that animal!"

Sam stepped in, seeing that Fenton wasn't going to comply. Laying a hand on his partner's shoulder he said, "Fenton, we've got Hayden. Let the police handle it from here. Go to your son; Frank needs you".

Fenton wanted to choke the life out of this man...this so called teacher...this child abuser didn't deserve to live after everything he'd done. He'd hurt his sons! He had threatened to kill Joe. However Sam was right and Fenton knew it. His sons had to be his first priority.

"You know what Mr. Hayden; I'm not going to kill you." Fenton took a deep breath in order to calm down. "I want you alive, because, you have a lot to answer for." He removed the belt from his neck and slowly backed away, keeping his angry eyes locked on Hayden. "I'm really anxious to hear what you have to say."

"We'll see, Detective." The teacher commented coolly. "I know my rights. I'm not saying anything without a lawyer." He added, gingerly rubbing his neck.

"Con, cuff him, and then you and Baker get him out of here!" Chief Collig ordered.

"You got it Chief!"

"I've wanted to do this since this case started. Mr. Jack Hayden, turn around, hands behind your back". Con ordered as he put a pair of handcuffs on Hayden. "You're under arrest for child abuse, child endangerment; I could go on. You have the right to remain silent..." Officer Baker accompanied him as he escorted Hayden out of the room.

"That felt good." Fenton said under his breath. He rushed over to Frank. Sam was already cutting the ropes with his pocket knife; as soon as he was free, Frank slowly began to sit up with help from both his father and Sam. He began rubbing his numb wrists and ankles trying to get the feeling back in them.

"Son, are you okay?" Fenton asked concerned as he looked Frank over to make sure that he was in one piece. "Did Hayden hit…"

"No, you guys got here before…" Frank voice trailed off. He shivered inwardly at the thought of just how close he'd come to literally getting the crap beat out of him. He really didn't want to think about it. "I have a nasty headache and my wrists and ankles are sore after being tied up but other than that, I'm fine."

Knowing his children as well as he did, he'd known exactly the answer he'd get and Fenton wasn't disappointed this time around. The boys had this need to just push their own pain aside, instead focusing all his energy towards everyone else, especially where his sibling was concerned.

Fenton ran a hand along the back of his son's head, feeling a small lump beneath his palm. He was growing concerned that Frank might have a concussion. He checked out the lacerations on his wrists and ankles, although the cuts didn't seem too deep, they still required medical attention. "Well, for my own peace of mind, I'd like to see just how fine you actually are, at the hospital."

"Wait, Joe!" Fenton's eyes darted to the other bed, it was empty. He let out a gasp as his eyes landed on the fresh blood on the mattress. "Where's your brother?!"

"He's in the Spider-Man closet! Hayden locked him in there! Get him out… something's wrong!" Frank shouted. With all the commotion that had surrounded Hayden Frank hadn't realized just how quiet Joe was being. At once he jumped to his feet, but the numbness hadn't yet gone away and he stumbled, almost falling on his face; lucking his father was there to catch him before he actually fell.

Chief Collig was at the Spider-Man door in seconds. "Joe? It's Chief Collig, Are you alright?"

No response.

"Joe."

Everyone stayed quiet, hoping to hear a response.

"Fenton go." Sam said, easing Frank back down onto the bed until he could walk properly. Fenton joined Chief Collig at the closet door. "Joe? Are you alright?" Fenton called out as calmly as he could.

"Son, it's Dad, please answer me."

No response.

"Joe!"

Still nothing.

"Joe!" Fenton's voice cried out, fear clear to see in his face as well as his actions.

"Stand back." Chief Collig ordered, refusing to wait any longer. Fenton reluctantly did as instructed and took a step back. Taking his gun out of its holster, the chief broke the padlock with one swift hit of the gun's butt. He throw open the door, _"Oh My God!"_

"JOSEPH!" Fenton exclaimed, as a rat ran past his shoes. His heart almost gave out at the sight of his baby boy lying shirtless on a pile of dirty blankets, lying in not quite a fetal position, his hands tied behind him. Like Frank, Joe had lacerations all around his ankles. Unlike his brother, Joe also had rats crawling all over him.

Fenton immediately stepped inside the closet throwing rodents off his son. "Joe…" He got a strong whiff of urine and fecal matter in the room as well as all over Joe. "Joe, look at me." Joe remained silent and still stared off into space, not acknowledging anyone in the slightest.

"Come on; let's get you out of here." He picked Joe up out of the closet and laid him on the floor to get a better look at him.

"Joe!" Frank shouted as he shot off the bed, now able to ignore the tingling feeling in his feet as he made his way over to stand beside his father.

Sam handed Fenton his pocketknife which Fenton immediately used to cut Joe free before gently rolling him onto his back. Fenton was shocked to see dried blood all over his chin and mouth; his eyes were glazed as if he was in some kind of trance.

"Joe." He placed to fingers under his neck, "He has a steady pulse." That was a good thing. Fenton leaned down and to put his ear close to his mouth and watched his chest rise up and down. "He's breathing."

"Joe." Fenton shook his shoulder, still no response. Taking his handkerchief, he gently wiped the blood from Joe's mouth and to his dismay found bruising and small cuts on either side of his mouth, while his bottom lip was split open. Holding the handkerchief in place to stop the bleeding he used his free hand to turn Joe onto his side in order to keep his airway open.

"What's wrong with him?" Sam asked anxiously, coming over to kneel by the Hardys.

"I don't know." Fenton had never felt so scared and helpless in his life. Then again, he'd never seen his youngest this bad off before. He ran a hand through the blond hair, stopping when he found a lump. "He may have a concussion," Fenton sighed as he warned the others. Was that it or was there something else? There were tiny bite marks all over his arms and legs and like Frank, Joe had lacerations around his wrists and ankles that would require medical attention.

Fenton was at a loss; why wasn't Joe responding? "Joe…Joey, come on…I know your mouth hurts so don't try to talk, just blink your eyes to let me know you're okay." He carefully brushed a strain of blonde hair out of his son's eyes.

Joe remained in his trance. "I think he's just feeling traumatized because of Hayden's actions. It's as if he's shut his mind down".

"I'll go call an ambulance." Sam said hurriedly running out the door.

"Frank, what the hell happened?" Fenton demanded, dashing the tears from his eyes. "What did that bastard do to him?"

 _"_ Maybe you can also explain this?" Chief Collig questioned, holding up two Ziploc bags, one containing the bloody knife, the other a white handkerchief.

Frank quickly filled them in on everything, from how they ended up tied to the beds and how Hayden was going to beat Joe with his belt, before he stopped it.

"You stopped it how?"

"Hayden said his father used to beat him and his brother with a belt to test out their manhood. If you shed a tear during the beatings you were considered weak and stupid. _But_ of you took it like a man, you were smart and strong." Frank said anger rising in his voice, "That's what Hayden was trying to do to Henry."

"Did you know that dyslexia is inherited? I didn't. Apparently Hayden's dyslexic and there's a chance Ryan is as well".

Fenton wasn't really surprised at hearing that. "I kind of suspected something like that."

"Hayden said that we were a lot alike," Frank swallowed the lump in his throat. "Because, we're the protective older brothers…it's our job to protect our younger brother. Hayden always took the beating for his younger brother. He asked me how much I loved Joe. And if there was anything I wouldn't do for him…"

"In fact, Joe and I were arguing over who should take the beatings..." The elder boy sighed, quickly wiping a tear away. "I made a deal with Hayden. I'd let him beat me…" He took another deep breath before continuing."All I asked in return was that he didn't make Joe watch".

"Hayden agreed to my deal... he used that knife to cut the rope from Joe's wrists". He paused for a moment to collect himself. "Hayden forced… Joe to hold that knife… between his teeth … He was so scared… I yelled at Hayden to stop…" Frank voice quivered out, _"_ Hayden yelled back at me… to shut up or he'd slit Joe's throat… then he r-ripped the knife out of his mouth and held it instead to his neck. There was blood coming out of his mouth…"

"I couldn't do anything… my hands and feet were tied…I tried to break free…I watched, not being able to do anything else as Hayden dragged Joe off the bed and locked him in that rat infested closet. Joe's biggest fear is being locked in a room with no way out. Hayden took our shirts along with our shoes. That meant… Joe didn't have his… lock pick on him."

"That's one of the reasons I helped Joe run away from the police station. I'd do it again, if it meant I wouldn't lose my brother".

"I...I'd do anything for him; go to jail with him or take a beating. It doesn't matter what it is". He looked down at Joe as tears rolled down his face. "But I didn't do my job. I failed him...I'm supposed to protect my little brother. But I failed...he got hurt anyway".

Dashing the angry tears away, he cursed Hayden for the hell he'd put his boys through. Fenton wrapped an arm around Frank and pulled him close. "This is not your fault. You and your brother were held against your will..."

"No, don't comfort me. I don't want that. This is my fault!" Frank shouted, pulling away from his father. "I should've done something!" He quickly wiped the tears away.

Joe, though still in his trance-like state, suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. "No...I'll take it...Frank, no! No...I'll take it...Frank no!" He jerked away from his father and attempted to sit up. Blood and spittle flew from his mouth as he screamed, "Don't hurt him please… Hayden, please! Frank no!"

"Joe, calm down." Fenton put his hands on his son's shoulders, trying to get him to lie down. "Frank, talk to him!" he concluded, desperately wanting Joe to snap out of his trance. "Hopefully he'll respond to you."

"No! Let me go!" Joe began coughing and spitting out blood as he struggled to get up. It took Fenton, Frank and Chief Collig to get Joe to lie down again. His blue eyes were still glazed, locked in his trance.

"Hey little brother, I'm right here," Frank spoke in a soothing voice, as he brushed a lock of hair out of Joe's eyes, inwardly pleading for a response. "Joe, it's okay, I'm okay. Hayden didn't hurt me. Dad... Chief Collig stopped it. The police have Hayden."

"No… I'll take it…" Joe started, but Frank cut him off as he wiped the blood from his brother's mouth and onto his pants. "Joe, don't talk... just calm down."

"Come on, if you want to see Hayden in handcuffs and put in the back of a Con's squad car, then snap out it."

"No… I'll take it…"

Frank tried one last time. "Little brother, come on, snap out of it. For me...please?"

Then all at once Joe stopped struggling to break free and his blue eyes shifted, following the sound of Frank's voice. "Frank?" In a flash Joe was up and practically flying from his father's lap to his brother's arms; knocking them both to the floor. Fenton had to support Frank to keep him from hitting his head a second time.

Joe started crying and shaking. Frank really couldn't do much of anything else, so he just stayed where he was, holding his little brother. "Joe, please don't take this the wrong way, but you stink." He said, wrinkling his nose as another strong wave of the smell of urine struck it.

"You would too, if you'd been trapped in a closet with rats crawling all over you".

"Joe." Fenton stifled a laugh and ran his fingers through Joe's blond hair, bending his head to whisper, "Frank is fine. You need to let him up." Joe finally calmed down. Fenton and Chief Collig helped the boys sit up.

Joe looked at Frank in tears. "I thought...Did Hayden..." He tried to say more but the movement of his mouth caused his lip to bleed afresh.

"Joe, don't try to talk," Fenton held the handkerchief to his son's mouth. Fenton was grateful to see his blue eyes were alert and alive. "Frank already explained everything to us."

Joe wasn't totally convinced that Frank was actually fine. He had to know; he had to be sure. Without a word he wrapped his arms around his brother, carefully pulling him into a hug, and then ran his trembling hands down Frank's back. Expecting to feel welts and skin torn into ribbons, he found none. He was still in one piece. To his satisfaction Frank was fine. "Thank God."

Joe took the handkerchief from his father, using one hand to press it to his sore, bloody mouth just before his father and Chief Collig reached to help the brothers to their feet.

"Mr. Hardy." Cindy Hayden said in a small voice. She came down the steps carrying shirts and shoes. "I'm so sorry your boys got hurt." She sobbed. "I brought them their things. I know it doesn't make up for what Jack did. I'm sorry." She handed Fenton the items.

"Mrs. Hayden, thank you. You don't need to apologize for your husband." Fenton replied, "May I ask what happened to your face?" He asked, noting the black eye as well as a huge bruise on the left side of her face. He asked, but he had a pretty good idea of how it happened, the question was: would she confirm it?

"It's nothing really, I'm just very clumsy," she answered while looking down at her feet. "I fell down the stairs."

"Are you sure that's what happened?" the Chief asked gently. "Is it possible that your husband did that?"

Touching the side of her face, silence and a single tear was Cindy's answer.

"Would you like to press charges against your husband?"

Again she remained quiet, not saying a word.

"We can't help you if you won't let us. We can't make any promises but it could make a world of difference for Henry."

"Will I get Henry back?"

"Well that depends on Child Protective Services. They're not going to put him in your care if it's not safe. Pressing charges on Jack Hayden means he'd be in jail, where he'd be unable to hurt anyone," Fenton answered.

"Can I, at least, see him?" Cindy asked hopefully.

Why don't you let us take you to the hospital to get those bruises checked out? Once that's done, we can fill out a report," Chief Collig suggested to the woman. "We'll see what we can do about letting you see your son."

"Okay." She finally answered. The police chief ushered the woman out of the room.

Joe took the opportunity to remove the handkerchief from his mouth and ask. "Dad we're not seriously going to let her see Henry, are we? She's only going to upset him."

"There's no guarantee that she'll get to see him." Fenton answered. "But maybe we can arrange a brief, supervised visit with Henry, then hopefully Mrs. Hayden will agree to press charges on her husband."

'Dad, I have to agree with Joe. Mrs. Hayden will only upset Henry." Frank put in, "There's something you need to know about Henry." He quickly filled his father in on Henry's sudden change in behavior with their friends at the hospital.

Fenton was really concerned after hearing that; the possibility of Henry inheriting some of Hayden's abusive traits had just been confirmed. Joe quickly defended his friend, saying that Henry hadn't meant to hurt their friends and that Hayden was the cause of Henry's problems.

As painful as it was to do, Fenton told Joe that he had to agree with Frank; Henry would have to be watched closely. Hopefully, with time and counseling Henry would overcome his issues.

Sam came over to join the family; he smiled when he saw the boys. Even though they looked like hell, they were alive. "An ambulance is outside waiting, to take you boys to the hospital."

"Thank you Sam." As they reached the outdoors, the boys sighed in happiness, the cool evening breeze felt wonderful after being inside for so long. They were finally free from the hell that was Hayden's basement.

Standing on the front porch with his father and brother, Joe, as promised, got to enjoy the sight of seeing Con put Hayden into the back of his police car.


	19. Chapter 19

I know it's been awhile since my last update. I'm was having a bit of writers block & between my work schedule finally found some time to write this next chapter. I am trying to setup this chapter and the next one to lead into the sequel. Still figuring out the details for the squeal. I'm not sure where to go with Hayden. I'm thinking of doing an actual court story, I might need help with legal court stuff, I don't know much about that stuff. PM me if you if I'm open to suggestions or other ideas anyone might have

Thank you to KDesai, and CherylannRivers and everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter. and thank you elven buddy my beta reader for your help

Pressure chapter 19

Eight o'clock the next morning, Frank was lying in his hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling lost in thought. He couldn't get what had happened with Hayden out of his head.

"Frank."

Quickly wiping away the tears, Frank glanced up just in time to catch his father walking into the room. "Hey, Dad, you're here so early. Where's Mom?"

"After you two were brought in last night, your mother was all over me demanding to know what Hayden had done to you both".

"You told Mom everything."

"Yes, I did. I learned a long time ago to never try to hide the details from her when you boys got hurt, working on cases. She wants to always know what's happened so she can be prepared to deal with whatever the situation is".

"How did she take it?" Frank already knew the answer.

"She was upset and rightly so." Fenton said rubbing his tired eyes. "We took turns sitting with you boys until they finally kicked us out because visiting hours were ending. But your mother insisted she wasn't going to leave her babies."

"So she settled on spending the night in the waiting room after I had to practically drag her out of here. I sent her to the cafeteria to get her some breakfast. It took some time to convince her to go. I promised her that I'd come check on you until she got back. There's also something we need to talk to you both about. But, that can wait." Fenton added after seeing the troubled look on Frank's face.

"Right now I want to know how you're feeling."

"Well let's see. Hayden almost beat the crap out of me; as a result my wrists and ankles hurt every time I move them". Frank rattled off sarcastically as he held up his bandaged wrists. "On the plus side, my killer headache has now been reduced to a pain ache".

"I'd say I'm going to be fine"

"Considering everything you've both gone through," Fenton answering, biting his tongue. "I'm going to let your sarcastic tone slide."

Fenton got up and walked over to see his youngest, who was still sound asleep. His eyes swept over the multiple bandages. His arms had bandages covering the rat bites, his head and wrists were also bandaged. Joe's swollen bottom lip had a bandage over it; Fenton remembered the doctor telling him the swelling would go down within a few days.

Damn you Hayden for all the pain you've caused. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you stay in jail.

He spoke loudly enough for Frank to hear him. "I spoke to Dr. Bryce before coming in here. He said Joe'll be fine. He'll have a pretty sore mouth for a while, what with the stitches on the corners of his mouth as well as his lip."

"He'll be eating soft foods for a while, which we all know he'll hate but it'll make it easier for him to heal as he won't have to chew as much. After eating he'll need to rinse out his mouth with a mixture of water and peroxide in order to prevent infection. As for the stitches, they'll dissolve on their own in about a week or so."

"Luckily the wounds caused by the rat bites were relatively minor; everything's been cleaned and stitched. They gave him a good scrubbing so he smells better now. And because of the metal knife and bites they gave him a tetanus shot to be on the safe side."

"That's good news." Frank smiled, hoping that he sounded upbeat. "I'm glad to hear Joe's going to be fine."

Bending down Fenton kissed Joe's forehead. Straightening up he went back to his eldest. "Frank I can tell just by looking at you that you're not okay. I saw you in tears when I walked in here. Whatever it is you're feeling let it out."

"Dad, it won't make me feel better."

"It might. It wouldn't hurt to at least talk it out." Fenton countered.

"Okay, fine." Frank turned away and looked at Joe sound asleep in the bed across from him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and huffed, "You know how everyone comments on how close Joe and I are?"

Fenton nodded to show he was listening.

"And how we always seem to know what the other one is thinking or feeling? We have this sixth sense when one of us is in trouble."

Yes." Fenton answered. "Where are you going with this?"

"Lately I've been feeling as though my radar is off track." Frank answered, feeling sad and guilty.

"When Joe told me about Hayden throwing a book at him in a fit of rage… I was blindsided. Then the incident with Joe and Hayden at school last Monday happened… that led to him getting arrested. I thought Henry was just some shy scrawny kid I'd see occasionally at school. I had no clue that he was being abused by a teacher, who by the way was also his father. Not only that but he was abusing other students as well, Joe being one of them."

"I didn't have a clue any of this was happening."

"Then last night…I had to watch feeling completely helpless as Hayden abused my brother with…a knife…the closet…You didn't see the fear in his eyes… I did. You saw how traumatized he was after you'd got him out of that closet... paralyzed with fear."

"All I could do was watch." He began pounding the bedrail with his clenched fist, wincing between each painful breath. "I should've done something." Frank said holding back angry tears.

"I tried to tell you yesterday none of this is your fault. Hayden held you against your will." Fenton could see Frank was on the verge of breaking down.

If only he would just let go of his need to be in control. Frank could be just as stubborn as his brother. He had a feeling there was something else bothering his eldest son. Fenton glanced over at Joe. Joe was only part of it.

"You know Frank, I'm feeling just as guilty as you are. I'm supposed to be this big world famous detective and yet I didn't have a clue that my own was in trouble until Henry came into our lives. It made me realize that I need to pay more attention to what's going on in your lives" Fenton wiped a tear away.

"Yes, but I should've sensed something was wrong. I couldn't stop it...This is what happens when you let your feelings get in the way". Frank choked up. "I failed in my job to protect Joe. Maybe Hayden was right; maybe we are similar."

"It would explain why I feel the way I do. Like when I pulled away when you were trying to offer some comfort; a part of me wanted to be held like a child, but another part protests that I'm eighteen years old, I should pull away like a man".

It suddenly dawned on Fenton as to why Frank was feeling this way and where he was going with his thoughts- it made perfect sense. "Frank, I think you know the answer to that. You just won't admit it to yourself."

"And you're not an abusive monster like Hayden." Joe's voice suddenly broke into the conversation.

Fenton spun around as Frank whipped his head to see Joe fully awake. "Joe, have you been awake this whole time?" Frank asked.

"No just part of it. I woke up just as you said you failed to protect me." Joe said as he struggled to sit up.

"Take it easy." Fenton walked over to help him. "How are you feeling?"

"Wow, check this out". Joe looked at his arms; he looked like a mummy with all his bandages. "Hope I don't turn into some mutated human rat." He reached up to feel the back of his head, wincing at the contact as he reached a small lump. Bringing his hand down to his mouth he probed at his bandaged lip, that hurt too. He shivered as images of Hayden flashed in his mind's eye.

"Sore, but I'll live." Joe lied, pushing the thoughts of Hayden out of his head. Fenton and Frank both knew he was lying.

"Frank you did protect me." He quickly changed the subject, "I was going to get the belt first. But you stopped it." Joe was finding it hard to talk with the bandage on his lip but he pushed through the pain to continue.

"You were going to willingly let Hayden beat you, for me. That says a lot..." Joe said, starting to choke up making it even harder to talk. "I owe you."

"You do not owe me a thing." Frank nodded, fighting back the emotions that were begging to be released.

"I'm going to repay you someday for what you did."

"Joe, that's not necessary…"

"Okay, then do something else for me," Joe cut him off.

"What?"

"Cry."

"What?"

"You cry for me."

Frank shook his head. "Joe I can't just start crying because you tell me to. That's not me; I'm not that kind of person. In fact I'm still trying to figure that out."

"You're Frank Hardy, my big brother and best friend, who I've always loved and admired. I've always loved you; that will never change. You've always had my back and I will always have yours."

"That's just it Joe."

"What do you mean by that?" Joe was baffled by his brother's comment.

Frank looked down at his lap, collecting his thoughts and trying to find the words for what he needed to tell Joe. "Dad, can I have a minute alone with Joe?" The moment he'd been dreading had finally come.

"Okay, I'll go find your mother." Fenton said, leaving the room.

"Move over little brother." Frank threw off his blanket and swung his legs out of his bed. Joe carefully moved over to make room for his brother.

"Frank, just spit it out." Joe said directly.

"Okay. Let me start of by asking you this." Frank began simply. "Who do people see when they see us?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

"Just answer me."

"Um, I don't know… us." Joe answered slowly.

"That's right, they see us. They don't see Frank." Frank put his hand on his chest, before placing it on Joe's chest. "They don't see Joe. They just see us as one name, Frank and Joe Hardy. When we're together, we're invisible."

"We can't even walk into a room by ourselves without someone asking, "'Where's your brother?' If people don't see us together, they automatically assume that something's wrong. I think we're just as guilty of that ourselves."

"Well, yeah, because we're like the amazing dynamic detective duo of Bayport High only without the capes and tights." Joe answered with what he saw as a witty comeback.

"Joe, I'm trying to be serious".

"Sorry, you're making this very easy".

"What I'm trying to say is that things are going to change because they need to. We're about to enter a new chapter of our lives with me finishing high school and getting ready to go to college. It's exciting and scary at the same time. We need to figure out our own identities."

"I think I'm always going to be a little reserved, especially when it comes to emotions. Sometimes I like to keep things to myself; I express myself in a different way." Frank said, finally admitting to what his father had pointed out.

"I'm figuring out who I am. The kind of man I want to be. Soon Mom and Dad will have to take a step back and let me make my own decisions."

"Joe, soon it will be your turn. I may not be around all the time to protect you from the Haydens of the world. This case made me realize that. I can't go to college and constantly be worrying about you".

"I know things are going to change." Joe agreed as his stomach churned uneasily. "I guess it's time I grew up and started taking responsibility for myself. Start thinking before rushing into things."

"It's a good thing." He smiled as he tried to prevent himself getting all teary-eyed. "I mean we're not going to be in high school forever. Just think how the amazing dynamic detective duo will be once we get out into the real world. The Haydens of the world won't stand a chance against us".

He paused for a moment as he thought of Frank's words. There was an ache in his heart; he'd been afraid of these changes. Next year he'd have to face his senior year without Tony, Phil and Callie. It was going to be hard not seeing them in the school halls.

Of course he'd still have Chet, Biff and hopefully, Henry. A small smile slid across his face as he thought of a certain young lady he'd like to get to know better.

But, sadly he won't have Frank there. That would be the hardest thing to deal with. Frank would be facing his first year of college. Like Frank had said, it was exciting and yet scary at the same time.

"Big brother, promise me you won't go changing too much that I can't recognize you. I'll promise the same". Joe's voice broke as he lowered his gaze to where his hands had started picking at his blanket.

"I'm the only one who can make sure your nose isn't stuck in some book, or glued to a computer, when you should be out having fun. And you're the only one I'd ever allow to kick my butt whenever I'm doing something stupid".

"I promise." Frank said lying down on the bed. Suddenly Frank felt pressure building up inside of him. The things that had happened were beyond his control and none of it was his fault. The only one at fault was Hayden. Thank God that man was now in jail. Hopefully, Henry could now get some justice and peace.

Joe whispered as he laid his head down on Frank's shoulder. "Frank."

"Mmmh."

"I can't stop thinking about last night... I can still feel those rats crawling all over me... the taste of that metal knife..." He shivered as he touched the bandage on his lip.

"And you...I mean if Dad and the police hadn't shown up when they did...Hayden would've..." Joe's voice trailed off, tears rolling down his face. "How can you not be bothered by that?"

"What makes you think I'm not?" Frank said gently touching the bandages on Joe's mouth.

Joe glanced up and to his surprise there were tears rolling down Frank's face.

"Frank, you're crying."

"I know." Frank took in a sharp breath and sobbed once. That was all it took. Soon the tears began to pour down his face as his body shook uncontrollably. The brothers held each other as they cried.

Fenton and Laura stood in the doorway arms wrapped around each other, tears in their eyes as they watched their sons. "Finally" Fenton murmured as they stepped back into the hallway to give their sons some privacy.

That was when Fenton saw Dr. Bryce talking to Chief Collig. "Chief, what's wrong?" Fenton asked, noting the grim look on the police chief's face. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Well I have some bad news." Chief Collig said. "Cindy Hayden declined medical treatment. She's still sticking with the story that she fell."

"That woman didn't fall." Laura replied heatedly. "That monster hurt her like he hurt my babies."

"Yes, I think we all agree on how she got her injuries. She still refuses to press charges on Hayden." The chief answered.

"That poor woman is just scared and has good reason to be. She's had to put up with Hayden's abuse for so long; I can see why she and Henry are terrified of that man". Laura said. "After I see my boys, I'll go talk to her; maybe I can get through to her."

"I think that's a splendid idea." Fenton said proudly. He slid a strong arm around her shoulders. He was glad she was here to offer her help. He wanted to keep Hayden locked up for as long as possible. If anyone could convince Mrs. Hayden to press charges on her abusive husband, it would be Laura.

"And I agree, however...here comes more bad news". Chief Collig huffed. "Mrs. Hayden has mysteriously disappeared." The words left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Mrs. Hayden has disappeared." Fenton repeated, he didn't like the sound of that.

"She disappeared sometime last night." Dr. Bryce entered the conversation. "When she was brought in I had another doctor examine her injuries. I felt it was appropriate since I've been treating her son. I was told that she was being uncooperative and hostile towards him and the nurses treating her."

"She kept demanding to see her son. To try and diffuse the situation I went to see Henry and asked if he wanted to see her. He flat out refused and started to get really upset."

"Henry's therapist Dr. Liz Reece and I both agree not to force him; mentally he's not ready to see her. It could cause him more harm than good. We didn't want to trigger another episode like what happened with your sons' friends."

"I went back to let Mrs. Hayden know that Henry did not want to see her. And like before she was very defensive and adamant about seeing Henry. Even Dr. Reece tried to talk to her, but that woman just wouldn't see reason."

"Yes, I heard about how Henry acted with the kids." Fenton said, he was still concerned about Henry's abrupt change of behavior.

The doctor added, "I felt bad for them after they'd left. Thank goodness for that Morton boy and his comic book. It really did the trick in helping to calm Henry down. The only person Henry keeps asking for is Joe, that'll have to wait for later today, that is if Joe is up to it".

The chief broke into the conversation steering it back to its original topic. "As all of this was happening, an accident happened in the next cubicle. Apparently a nurse had accidentally knocked over some equipment, which caused a mess. Officer Jenkins, a rookie who'd been given orders to stay with Mrs. Hayden, left her post to help the nurse".

"After everything was cleaned, Officer Jenkins went back to her post only to find Mrs. Hayden gone." Chief Collig said hotly. "I've already reprimanded Jenkins for leaving her post and sent her back to the station."

"We have security looking all over the hospital for Mrs. Hayden. So far she hasn't turned up. And the interesting part is the nurse has mysteriously disappeared too."

"Isn't that a coincidence?" Fenton replied. He wasn't too thrilled with the officer either; luckily the Chief had already dealt with the matter. Right now making sure that Hayden stayed in jail and keeping everyone safe was his main concern. Obviously Cindy Hayden wasn't going to be of any help as Fenton had hoped. He couldn't shake the feeling that something he didn't like was going on.

"Do we have a name and description for this nurse?"

"Yes. From what Officer Jenkins reported the nurse was in her late thirties, of average height, wearing light blue scrubs. Her hair was long and brunette, pulled back into a ponytail. She went by the name Carolyn Matthews."

"We need to find out more about Carolyn Matthews and see if there's any connection to Cindy Hayden."

"Carolyn was with me yesterday when I went to give Henry a check up". Dr. Bryce shook his head.

"Did Henry recognize her?"

"No, he didn't seem to."

"What about Henry? Is he still…"

"Yes, Henry's still here. In fact he was my last patient on my rounds. I had him moved to another room." Dr. Bryce spoke up.

"As a precaution I have Officer Riley sitting outside Henry's room in plain clothes, until other arrangements are made." Chief Collig informed the detective. "I'm heading back to the station. I'd like to have a chat with Hayden."

"Right now, the doctor and I are the only ones who know Henry's location. Did you tell the boys that Henry's going to be released into the care of Child Protective Services soon?"

"No. I didn't get the chance." Fenton replied, dreading the thought of delivering this latest bombshell to his sons. "I'm going to tell the boys right now." He added, vowing to keep his promise to Joe. "Hold off on Child Services; I'd like to handle the arrangements myself. I have an idea of where to place Henry."


	20. Chapter 20

I know it's been awhile since my last update. I've been working on this chapter and the final chapter that will lead into the sequel. Still figuring out the details for the squeal. I think I know where I'm going with Hayden. Thank you to KDesai, and CherylannRivers and everyone for reading and reviewing my last chapter. and thank you elven buddy my beta reader for your help.

Here's my new chapter hope you like it...? Please let me a review and let me know how I'm doing.

* * *

Pressure chapter 20

Carolyn, where are you?"

"I'm in a fleabag motel room in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania."

"Is Cindy with you?"

"Yes, she's taking a shower." Carolyn whispered into the phone. "Baby, that woman is driving me crazy." She sat down on the bed and let her long brunette hair out of its ponytail. "All she talks about is that kid of hers. Oh, and Jack's been arrested."

"Damn it! If only Henry had kept his mouth shut like he was supposed to. It's his fault we're in this mess!" Ryan Hayden snapped at the other end of the line.

"Baby, what do you want us to do?"

There was a short pause at the end of the line before Carolyn got her response. " I don't have much time so listen carefully. You tell Cindy to forget about Henry and focus on getting me and Jack out of this hellhole".

"The two of you are going to lay low in Bridgeport for a while. Change your appearance; cut and color your hair, do whatever you want. Use disposable phones to keep in touch." Ryan gave his final order. "And whatever you do, do _not_ show your faces in Bayport. Is that clear?"

"Yes, of course". Carolyn replied. "I'll do anything I need to, to get you out". She paused before continuing with a question. "There's just one thing. Getting you out of jail won't be a problem. Jack on the other hand will be".

"You don't worry about Jack. He knows what he has to do. As long as he plays his part, and our lawyer does his, we'll be out sooner than you think."

" I can assure you of one thing, once we're out of this place both Henry and that damn Joe Hardy will pay!"

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Dr. Bryce had left about an hour ago to go do his rounds. Chief Collig had left to go back to the station, Fenton promising to meet him there once he'd finished talking to his sons.

Fenton was standing just outside of the boys' room. He'd been contemplating what to tell them. He'd always been open with his sons'; they weren't little kids anymore and they could handle the truth, they deserved to know what'd been going on. He let out a deep sigh, preparing himself to go into the room.

"Fenton, wait."

The uneasy sound of his wife's voice immediately got the detective's attention. He could see the mixed emotions on her face with one glance, "Laura, what's wrong?"

Laura huffed as she collected her thoughts. "What does this mean for Hayden with Cindy Hayden and that nurse disappearing? Is there a chance he could get away with all of the evil things he's done?"

"I don't know Laura," Fenton answered honestly, pushing back the anger that threatened to come spilling out. He had to stay in control for his family's sake. He needed to be their strength.

"The truth is Hayden has never been charged with a crime, until recently. After I talk to the boys I'm heading back to the station to figure out what's been going on."

"I'm afraid for everyone's safety. That man is very dangerous. He must have some kind of power over Cindy. I can't believe she would protect that monster." Laura looked up at her husband. She could see that his eyes were filled with worry; they were both clearly thinking of the same thing. "After all the horrible things Hayden did to his own son, on top of other children...that poor boy".

"And then last night… that monster abused our children. I'll never get Joe's bloody lip and bite marks out of my head. And Frank...I know Frank tries so hard to put up a brave front, especially where Joe's concerned. I know he must've been scared to death. It gives me chills just thinking about it".

"I mean if you hadn't ...that monster... he almost...with that belt." Laura said, her voice trailing off. "Can you imagine what Frank would be like if the outcome had been different?"

"Shhh..., Hayden didn't. The boys are safe." Fenton wrapped his arms around her.

"I want to believe that Fenton. I really do. I just don't feel safe." Laura stifled a sob into his chest.

"I promise you, Sweetheart; I'll do everything in my power to keep everyone safe." Fenton vowed, his face tightened with determination. Releasing her he wiped her tears away, kissing her forehead as he did so. After everything Hayden had done to his boys, it was personal Fenton knew. Laura was aware that her husband would work himself to the ground to fulfill his promise.

"I know you will."

"Listen, while you're speaking to the boys I'm going to run home and get some clothes for them, Dr. Bryce is going to release them sometime this afternoon." With that, Laura kissed her husband goodbye before taking her leave.

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

"Cindy Hayden disappeared last night". Fenton said, ending his explanation to the boys about the incident with the nurse and Henry's mother. "Apparently Nurse Matthews was with Dr. Bryce yesterday when he was giving Henry a check up. Henry didn't seem to know the woman."

"Oh my god, where's Henry?!" Joe started to get up out of his bed. The movement caused his whole body to hurt. "Ow!" He hugged his bandaged arms to his chest.

"Joe, take it easy…" Frank gently pulled him back down beside him.

"…Where is Henry?" Joe interrupted.

"Henry is fine." Fenton said calmly reassuring his youngest. "He's been moved to another part of the hospital. Con is watching him. The security and medical staff are all on high alert looking for the ladies." Joe breathed a sigh of relief though it didn't stop him worrying.

"Do you think this nurse is connected to Mrs. Hayden in some way?" Frank asked as he sat on the edge of the bed instinctively rubbing Joe's back to help keep him calm.

"Yes I think so." Fenton nodded. "I find it interesting that both women disappeared at the same time."

"Wait a minute." Frank had a sudden thought. "Didn't Sam say in the police report that a nurse had gone to check on the woman who refused to press charges against her abusive husband, only to find that woman missing in addition to her son? Well, we know now that that woman was Mrs. Hayden along with Henry."

Frank began to rub at his temple, willing his headache to go away. "So what if Nurse Matthews is the same nurse? She could've been the one to help Cindy a year ago".

"Frank, I think you're right." Fenton rubbed his chin in thought. "It's worth looking into."

"So what happens now?" Joe asked worriedly. "If she won't press charges on Hayden, then that means there's a chance that Hayden will get away with what he's done".

"That's not going to happen." Frank answered. "There's so much against him; like the pictures of Henry's bruises, the police reports of the kids Hayden abused and Johnny and Brett's confessions. And after what Hayden did to us last night, I for one, would be more than happy to get up on the witness stand and testify against that man".

"I would too in a heartbeat." Joe agreed.

Joe brought his hand up to his bandaged lip, probing it gently as he again shivered as images of Hayden flashed through his mind's eye. "But let's not forget Henry's the one this case is centered around. Can you really see Henry up on the witness stand in front of a judge and jury and testifying about everything Hayden did to him? Especially with Hayden sitting right in front of him?"

It was Frank's turn to shudder as the thought of how close he'd come to getting the belt came to the forefront of his mind; the image was still fresh, much as he wished it wasn't.

"Hayden's never been charged with a crime until now. Is there at all a slim chance he'd get off on some technicality?" Joe was doing his best to stay calm. Taking a deep breath he continued on, "If that happens...he'll go after Henry. And with his mother missing as well, the thought of what they're planning worries me".

Henry wouldn't be the only one Hayden would go after, Fenton knew. "Joe, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. We don't know what's going to happen, all we can do is take it one step at a time".

"Dad, can I see Henry?" Joe asked abruptly.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Knowing of Henry's recently abusive behavior, Fenton was hesitant to give Joe permission to do what he wanted.

"Yes. My arms don't hurt that much and my headache's gone away. My mouth does hurt a little but that's only because I'm talking; I can tolerate it. I promise I'll be careful and won't overdo it". Joe pleaded. "Please I need to see for myself that he's okay."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Frank shared his father's concern, he wasn't too trustful of Henry at the moment.

"Why do you think he's going to hurt me?"

"Yes."

"He won't. I trust him."

"Doesn't the way Henry treated Tony and Phil bother you?" Frank questioned his brother. Calmly he took a breath before going on. "What about Biff? You two have been friends since grade one".

"Yes, I know all that, especially concerning Biff. I want to talk to him as well, make sure he's okay and all." Joe replied. He had to admit he _was_ a bit concerned about Henry's behavior. But their father had told them that Henry was seeing a psychiatrist that gave Joe a ray of hope that his friend would receive the help he needed for his issues.

"What about Chet? Henry didn't hurt him," Joe was quick to point out.

"That was a one time thing Joe. Chet was lucky that he managed to calm Henry down with that comic." Frank made his point. "But what happens next time."

"I told you Frank; none of this is Henry's fault. It's all Hayden. Henry didn't mean to hurt our friends." Joe persisted. "He's not going to hurt me".

"If he's anything like his father, then yes he will." Frank put it bluntly, hoping to get through to his brother.

Joe knew that when it came to Henry, Frank had a bit of a trust issue, especially after the way Henry had treated their friends. He understood that Frank's emotions were still a bit raw after the abuse they'd suffered last night courtesy of Hayden. Still, he was glad his brother trusted him enough to be able to share his feelings with him. After the brothers had cried themselves out, before their father had entered the scene, Frank had dropped a bombshell of his own news...

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Frank was quiet for a while. Still lying side by side, Joe could see that there was still something on his brother's mind. He looked like he was searching for the right words to say whatever it was he needed to say. Finally Frank just blurted it out. "I got an early acceptance letter from Princeton University."

"What did you say?" Joe lifted his head off of Frank's shoulder. Had Joe heard him correctly? Maybe he hadn't.

Clearing his throat Frank repeated. "I said I'm going to Princeton."

Yep, he'd heard correctly. "I thought you were going to Bayport University."

"I was. It was my second choice actually. I applied in January and was notified sometime in March. I haven't said anything to Mom and Dad yet."

Three months. Frank had known about this for three months.

"Wow, that's awesome." Joe said plastering a smile on his face hoping to look and sound happy and excited. But Joe was dying inside. Princeton, Frank was going to Princeton.

"When are you…I mean?"

"August third."

Joe began to calculate the numbers in his head. Bayport University was only six miles away. He could handle that. But Princeton was in New Jersey; that was a hundred and twenty some odd miles away...He and Frank would be separated. Joe didn't know if he could handle that. His older brother was graduating at the end of May. He'd want to spend time with their parents and Aunt Gertrude and of course, Callie.

Yeah, there'd be holidays where they'd get to see each other and there was always the phone, texting or emails; they'd definitely be able to keep in touch. But still, Joe had less than a month to spend with his brother. He couldn't handle that.

"Does Callie know?"

"No." Frank shook his head feeling guilty. "I wanted you to be the first to make sure you're okay with it."

"Yes, I'm okay with it." Joe lied.

As usual Frank was thinking of his feelings rather than his own. Joe couldn't be selfish; he had no right to. This wasn't about him, but Frank and what he wanted. That whole speech he gave about things changing, this was the reason for it. He'd been leading up to this announcement. They were about to enter a new chapter of their lives; it was exciting and scary at the same time. They needed to figure out their own identities.

Frank was going to Princeton.

"No you're not." Frank disagreed; he could tell Joe was upset.

"What do you want me to say, don't go?" Joe shook his head. He was trying his best not to break down. "I'm not going to do that. You deserve this opportunity, Frank."

"Just give me a little time to process all this. I'll be fine. Remember; changes are coming our way." Joe hugged Frank again, blinking back tears. "It's a good thing". How did you say goodbye to someone who you considered the moon and stars; who chased the monsters away?

Frank was trying to figure out what kind of man he wanted to be so that meant Joe couldn't rely on his big brother to be his safety net. He was going to have to figure things out on his own.

Joe had just one question; without Frank, who the hell was Joe Hardy...?

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Joe quickly shook the negative thoughts out of his mind. "Frank, Henry hasn't seen me since we left his room. According to Phil, Henry was worried that Hayden would act on his threat to kill me. He needs to see that I'm okay".

"Henry's life is still in danger. He's scared and needs someone he can trust. And that someone is me. I'm going to stand by him no matter what."

"I still don't think it's a good idea." Frank knew his brother was upset about him leaving. He began to wonder if Joe was going through a bit of denial when it came to Henry. His wish to protect his friend had the potential to develop into an unhealthy obsession, which could be dangerous.

"Well Dad _does_ have the final say". Joe reminded his brother. Frank and Joe looked at their father. "Dad, can I go see Henry or not?"

Fenton felt their eyes on him, waiting for his answer. Be open and honest with them, he reminded himself. They were not little kids anymore, they could handle the truth, and he knew it.

He let out a deep sigh. "Okay here's the thing." He started. "Dr. Bryce went to talk to Henry and told him you'd been admitted with minor injuries but that you'd be fine. He gave him a condensed version of what happened last night."

"In fact, you boys are going home later this afternoon."

"What about Henry?"

"Henry was supposed to be released into the care of Child Protective Services." Fenton held up his hand, seeing Joe was about to interrupt. "I told them that I'd be handling the arrangements to find a place for Henry, as I had promised you."

"Where are you placing him?" Joe asked curiously. It meant a lot to him that his father had kept his promise to try and help his friend.

"I will let you know soon. I'm going to the station now to see what going on with Hayden and to see if there are any updates on Cindy Hayden and Carolyn Matthews's whereabouts. I'm also going to look into Frank's theory." Fenton answered.

"So, can I go see Henry?" Joe asked getting back to his original question.

"Yes, you can." Fenton finally confirmed. "However, it's going to be a supervised visit. You can not be alone with Henry. Someone will have to be in the room with you. That goes for everyone. "

"That's fair enough, I guess". Joe gave in, even if he didn't like the idea.

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Fenton had already left for the police station. Dr. Bryce had given the boys a thorough check up before deciding to discharge them later that afternoon; he didn't see any complications hampering them. Laura had walked into the room carrying a change of clothes for each boy to change into just as a nurse wheeled in a couple of trays of food.

"What is this?" Joe turned his nose up at the white and brown creamy blob on the plate the nurse had placed in front of him.

"It's mashed potatoes and gravy." The nurse replied placing a small container on the tray. "And for dessert I brought you some yogurt."

He glanced over at Frank, who he saw was lucky enough to be eating the same thing he'd been given with the addition of a piece of chicken.

"Why can't I have chicken?"

"Mashed potatoes and gravy would be easier for you to eat and swallow because of the stitches on your mouth".

"Do I have to eat this?" Joe asked scooping up some of the blob with his spoon.

"You do if you want to go home." The nurse said smiling. "After you're done eating the doctor wants you to rinse your mouth".

Joe scooped up some of the blob with his spoon. "It looks like wallpaper paste. Probably tastes like it too".

"Well I can assure you that's not". The nurse put her hands on her hips. "How do you know what wallpaper paste tastes like?" she asked curiously.

"You don't want to know." Joe said sheepishly, letting the blob fall back onto the plate as he remembered the incidence, hearing Frank break out into laughter.

"Shut up." He glared at him. "I thought Aunt Gertrude was making oatmeal. I don't know she was going to wallpaper her room. I was five at the time."

"You were not five." Frank snickered. "More like fifteen."

"Shut up."

"Joe honey, just eat it." Laura stifled a laugh. Laying the bag of clothes on a spare chair, she walked over to give Frank a kiss before coming back and doing the same to Joe. "As soon as you eat and get dressed, you can go see Henry".

Frank suddenly stopped laughing and lost his appetite. He pushed his tray aside. He didn't trust Henry around Joe. Maybe he was being a little unfair to Henry, as Joe had said; Hayden _was_ partly to blame for Henry's behavior. And Henry was getting help for his issues.

But what if Henry was like his father...what if he turned on Joe next time? Now Frank was beginning to regret his decision to go away to Princeton.


	21. Chapter 21

I'd like to thank Cherylann Rivers, KDesai, rebeccareneesharplake and anyone else for reading and following my story. Here's my new chapter hope you like it.

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Pressure chapter 21

An hour later the brothers were up, dressed and finally out of their hospital room on their way to see Henry. Dr. Bryce had told them that Henry was in a private room on the top floor of the hospital. The room provided Henry with tranquility and comfort in hopes to speed up his healing process; it also gave his therapist, Dr. Reese some time alone to work with her patient.

Frank could see that the hospital was exceptionally busy today with added staff to help assist with all the patients. Frank knew that the extra security his father had hired on behalf of the hospital were all on the look out for Mrs. Hayden and Nurse Matthews. The brothers were disappointed that the two women hadn't been found yet but they held onto hope that they'd be found soon.

Laura Hardy had gone to do some volunteer work while her boys visited their friend. She had left only after Frank had given her his word that he wouldn't leave the other two boys alone together.

"Man, what I wouldn't give for a cheeseburger right now." Joe pouted while patting his stomach. "I am starving."

"A week, Dr. Bryce said you'll have to wait a week at least." Frank reminded him. "Your stitches should be gone by then."

In spite of all his complaining, Joe had made everyone happy by eating his dinner and rinsing his mouth out afterwards. But really, everyone knew that had it not been for Frank and the nurse teaming up in their encouragement as well as a little bribery from their mother promising to make his favorite meal for supper once his stitches were out, Joe would've put up a much bigger fight.

"I can't live on all this 'soft food' crap. You know it takes a lot to keep me going. I need meat, like actual food to fuel up for football. Coach Adams won't be happy to see his star quarterback is skin and bones when we get back to school."

"Little brother, I really don't think you're going to waste away in a week. And, I'm sure coach will understand."

Joe frowned, "Yeah…but…"

"You'll survive." Frank said sympathetically, patting his brother's shoulder as they stepped into the elevator.

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

As soon as the elevator reached the right floor the boys got out and made their way up to the nurses' station. A young slender nurse looked up from her computer screen and greeted them.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, we're here to see Henry Jacobs." Frank informed the nurse. "Dr. Reese is expecting us."

"Could I have your names please?"

"Frank and Joe Hardy, Dr. Bryce put us on the visitors' list." Joe put in anxiously.

"Are you okay?" She suddenly asked him.

Alarmed by that question Frank turned to Joe who was shifting nervously from one leg to the other.

"Joe, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Joe shook his head and stood still. "I'm just anxious to see Henry."

"Joe?" Frank just threw Joe a questioning look.

"I'm fine." Joe assured him. "Really, Frank, stop worrying". Frank knew he was lying, but said nothing for now.

"Can we see Henry please?" Joe asked the nurse, aiming to be convincing as he smiled at her.

The nurse looked at the blonde boy cautiously before picking up a clipboard. Her eyes quickly skimmed the paper before finding their names. "Ah, yes. Frank and Joe Hardy".

"I'll let Dr. Reese know you're here." The nurse said picking up the phone. "She'll be with you momentarily. Just go down the hallway until you get to the end". She said after hanging up.

"Thank you." Frank said politely.

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

As soon as the boys made their way down the hallway, "I hope Henry…" Suddenly, Joe grabbed at his chest and began gasping for breath. What the heck? He quickly sat down in a nearby chair in order to pull himself together.

" _'Oh great the bats are back,"_ he clutched at his stomach as his left leg began to bounce nervously up and down. Looking down at his arms he wished his mother had thought to bring him a long sleeved shirt in order to hide the bandages on his arms. She'd told him though that a short sleeved top would be easier to put on, taking his stitches into consideration. They were still a bit tender.

The images of being locked into his jail cell, being trapped in the dark, rat infested closet all swirled around in his head. His breathing grew heavier as he thought of all the tiny feet crawling over him...their teeth, sharp teeth nipping at his flesh...the taste of the metal knife. Joe placed a trembling hand on his bandaged lip.

Then suddenly Hayden's face flashed in his head. Joe jumped when a firm hand landed on his shoulder. "Joe!" Frank's voice brought him out of his panicked state.

"Joe, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah I'm...I'm fine." Joe replied breathlessly looking up at his brother.

"No, you're not. Look at you." Frank noted Joe's pale face as well as his heavy breathing. He saw his trembling hands. Something was wrong. "Dr. Bryce released us not more than an hour ago. It's too soon. Give yourself some time; you promised Dad you wouldn't overdo it. Maybe we should have the doctor check you out again".

Joe adamantly shook his head. "No, there's no need. I'm fine."

"Look, we don't have to see Henry right this minute." Frank knelt down resting his hands on his brother's knees, concern evident in his voice. "Let's just go home. You'll feel a lot better once you've rested in your own bed. Then we can come back and…"

"No! Frank I said I'm fine!" Joe shouted, quickly shoving Frank's hands off of him and jumping to his feet. "I know what you're doing. You're not talking me out of this. I'm going to see Henry whether you like it or not. If you don't want to be in the room with him then you can just stay out here."

"That's not going to happen. Dad said you're not to be left alone with Henry." Frank reminded him as he rose to his feet.

"I won't be alone." Joe retorted. "Dr. Reese will be in there with us."

"That may be so, however I'm not any chances." Frank said evenly. "I'll be keeping an eye on him".

He was having a hard time trusting Henry, because the only thing he could see was Hayden's face in his mind's eye, every time the kid was mentioned. He knew he had a lot of pent up anger in regards to the whole situation and that it was wrong of him to direct it all towards Henry. He knew it was wrong to compare Henry to Hayden.

But what if Henry was just like his father...It was that "what if" that was driving Frank mad! What if he turned on Joe, just like he'd done with their friends? It was like waiting for a ticking time bomb to go off. God help Henry if he hurt Joe.

"You better not say anything to upset him." Joe said heatedly.

"Joe as long as I am here, I'm going to look out for you." Frank knew the fact that he'd be leaving was part of the reason Joe was giving him this attitude. Frank was starting to have second thoughts about his decision; what if he was making the wrong choice in wanting to go to Princeton?

"Don't. I don't need you to. I can't rely on you to be my safety net." Joe snapped. "Frank, you said it yourself; I have to figure out things on my own _._ Well that's what I'm going to do. You have to let me."

"We need to get used to the idea of being apart; now is as good a time to start as any". He turned away from Frank; it was all he could do not to break down.

He took a deep breath before turning back to his brother. "If it's my blessing that you want, well now you have it". Joe swallowed the lump in his throat. "So you go to Princeton or whatever college you want and start living your life. I'm going to be okay."

That was harsh; Joe's words definitely stung a little. Frank masked his hurt before answering. "Joe I'm sorry. I should've told you about Princeton three months ago. Dealing with this on top of Hayden is too much for you".

"I'm sorry too. This is hard okay; I'm still adjusting to the idea of you leaving". Joe wiped an angry tear away. He felt terrible for hurting his brother's feelings. "As for Hayden, he can rot in hell for all I care."

"When were you planning on telling Mom and Dad about Princeton?" Joe asked, forcing Hayden's image out of his head.

"I'm going to tell them as soon as we get home." Frank answered, noting how quickly Joe had changed the subject.

"What about Callie?"

"I'm going to tell her soon." Frank answered as he ran a hand through his hair. "Hopefully she'll take the news better than you are".

"Are you afraid she's going to break up with you over this?"

Frank again ran his hand through his hair; Joe knew then that Frank was very upset; that was Frank's signature move. Frank nodded. "Callie and I had always talked about going to college together at Bayport University. That was where she wanted to go; we applied at the same time. I didn't tell her about applying to Princeton".

"I've been able to talk to both you and Dad about how I feel". Frank sighed as he thought about to his conversation with Joe about him learning to share his feelings. "With Callie though...it's different. Crying is something that just seems so personal. I don't know if I can do that with her." He shrugged before continuing. "I don't know if I could talk to her about last night."

"I'm still trying to process that all myself." Frank instinctively touched the bandages on his left wrist that covered the lacerations left by the impressions of the rope; the rope that had bound him to a bed while Hayden had stood over him, ready to beat him with a belt. He thanked God that his father had gotten there in time to prevent it.

Frank quickly shook the thoughts out of his mind before continuing. "I'm not sure where Callie and I are in our relationship. How will this new chapter affect us? Will going to different colleges change us?"

"Isn't it better that you find that out now? At least you'll know where you stand with her." Joe added his two cents. "Big brother, you know Callie and I have always been at odds with each other".

"Don't get me wrong; I like Callie. I really do. She's intelligent, funny, independent and adventurous. However, she can be very headstrong and opinionated. And, if I may point it out, she also has a tendency to get all jealous whenever I want to spend time with you".

"That also sounds like someone else I know." Frank chimed in, crossing his arms over his chest. "Where are you going with this?"

"Do you love Callie?" Joe came right out and asked him directly. If Frank told him to shut up, he'd respect that and back off.

"What?" Frank just stood there blinking, the question having caught him completely off guard.

"Do you love Callie?" Joe repeated the question. "Does she make you happy? Because that's all I want, for you to be happy."

"Callie does make me happy. She's a beautiful, smart, funny great person." Frank smiled at the thought of his girlfriend, "Callie will tell me the things I need to hear; she's my voice of reason".

"I didn't tell you this the other day but when Henry was admitted to the hospital, Callie was very concerned about you both. She's been very supportive through this whole mess".

"Yes Joe, I love her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her…someday." Frank felt his heart flip at his words. "I love Callie."

"Good, I'm happy for you." Joe smiled. "Have you told her?"

"I plan to. I just hope she'll be okay with me leaving."

"Well just so you know, if she even TRIES to talk you out of going to Princeton, she'll have me to deal with". Joe stated. It hurt his heart that Frank was leaving. He was happy, or at least trying to be happy for his brother, he really was. "I'm not going to let you pass up this opportunity."

"Why don't we talk about Princeton later?" Frank said getting back to the subject of Henry. "We can't move on until we wrap up this case. Let's deal with this first."

"Would you give Henry the benefit of the doubt? Please? For me?" Joe asked sincerely. "Hayden's the cause of all this, although I will agree that Henry _does_ need help. I can't just turn my back on him though; I need to see him, talk to him, make sure everything's okay. Then we can go home".

"Okay, for you I will try." Frank reluctantly replied. "Are you sure you're up to seeing him? It looked like you were on the verge of a panic attack a few minutes ago."

"Yes, I'm up to it." Joe let out a sigh to calm his nerves. "Let's go in and see Henry."

"Frank, Joe. How are you guys doing?"

Joe looked up to see Con coming towards them with a coffee cup in his hand. He was a little surprised to see him in a blue polo shirt, leather jacket and jeans. He quickly reminded himself that his friend was still on duty, keeping Henry safe.

The officer saw the bandages on Joe's mouth and arms. "Oh man, that Hayden really did a number on you. What I wouldn't give to have five minutes alone with that bastard," The officer said heatedly, raising his fist. "My fist and his face".

"It's not as bad as it looks." Joe told him. "And as for beating the crap out of him, you'll probably have to wait in line." Joe commented, touching the bandage on his lip.

"Or how about you hold him and let us have the first swing," Frank suggested. He'd love to get his hands on Hayden. On a serious note he added, "Con, I'm sorry we ran out on you at the station. I hope we didn't get you into any hot water with the Chief".

"Yeah, we really do feel bad about that." Joe said, feeling the guilt once more. He knew being a cop meant everything to Con. The man practically lived in his uniform as it was. "Especially, since I gave you my word about turning myself in. It's just I couldn't stay one more second in that cell. And then Henry…"

"Don't worry about that." Con took a sip of his coffee. "I understand why you did what you did. I was just looking out for you. I'd do it again. You're good kids...err...I mean young men. What Hayden did to you both was wrong".

"And as for the Chief, things are good. Although I may be at his beck and call for the next month or so. That's why I didn't hesitate when he asked me to watch Henry."

Just then the elevator doors opened as a beautiful petite woman stepped out. The woman was in her late thirties with short brown hair styled into a bob. She wore a flower print blouse with black dress pants.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Liz Reese." She greeted them extending a hand to them both in turn as she made introductions. "You must be Frank and Joe Hardy."

"Yes, I'm Joe." Joe answered politely while shaking the doctor's hand. "This is Frank." He nodded in his brother's direction.

"It's nice to meet you". Dr. Reese said extending her hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Frank replied as he shook her hand.

A small grin slid across Joe's face as he glanced at Con staring at the beautiful doctor. "And I'm sure you've already met this big guy".

"Yes, we've met." Dr. Reese smiled and extended her hand to the police officer. "Thank you again, Officer Riley, for your help in protecting my patient."

Joe discreetly nudged the smitten officer when he didn't respond right away. Quickly shaking his head, Con stammered out, "Huh? Oh, hi, yes." He shook her hand. "Dr. Reese. You're welcome; I'm glad to be able to help but really, I'm just doing my job".

"Well, I better get back to my post." He said, tripping over his feet as he turned around almost spilling his coffee as he did so. He quickly composed himself before disappearing down the hallway.

"Smooth." Joe commented under his breath. "So Dr. Reese, is it okay if we go see Henry?" He asked anxiously, wanting to see his friend. He began shifting from one leg to the other, feeling his nerves starting to surface.

"I think he needs to wait." Frank pointed out. "It's too soon. We were only discharged an hour ago for Pete's sake."

Joe rolled his eyes. He was getting annoyed with his brother. "Frank, we're not going through this again, I'm fine."

"I don't think having a panic attack counts as being fine." Frank countered back.

"Panic attack?" Dr. Reese asked curiously. "How long have you been having these?"

"Dr. Reece, I am fine, really." Joe began to explain. "Frank's worrying himself over nothing. I'm fine; he just doesn't want me to be in the same room as Henry because he doesn't trust him and he's worried that Henry'll do something to hurt me".

"His abusive behavior towards our friends is a good reason, Joe."

"Frank, for the umpteenth time _none_ of this is Henry's fault. He is _not_ Hayden. Henry _did not_ mean to hurt our friends. Henry _will not_ hurt me".

Frank took a deep breath, keeping his voice calm and steady. "Dr. Reese, I'm sorry about this. It's just we can't seem to see eye to eye on this. What do you think?"

"Why don't we discuss this in my office?" Dr. Reese said, nodding to the room behind him.

Joe turned around and saw a plate reading _Dr. Liz Reese_ , _Psychiatrist_ on the door. "Why are we going into your office?" He repeated exchanging looks with Frank. "I thought we were here to see Henry."

"And, you will." Dr. Reese said, walking over to open the door, holding it to allow the boys to enter the room. "But, before we do, I'd like to go over some things with you. And answer any questions you might have."

The boys followed the doctor into a spaciously sized room with a sophisticated style decor. Walking around her desk, Dr. Reese sat down. "I understand that you two have had something horrific happen to you recently. I thought maybe you'd like to talk about it before going to see your friend".

"Wait, I think we've been setup." Then it dawned on Frank as to why they were here. "We're not just here to see Henry, are we? We're here to see you. You've been talking to our father Fenton Hardy, haven't you? "

"Yes, I spoke briefly to him. He's a very nice man and is very concerned for the welfare of his boys. Your father also told me you wouldn't come to talk to me willingly".

Yup, Joe thought to himself. This little setup definitely had Fenton Hardy written all over it. "So what you're saying is that in order for us to see Henry, we have to talk to you first."

"Yes. Come on in boys." She gestured with a hand at the two leather chairs in front of her desk. "Please have a seat."

Their Dad was good. Good and very sneaky. Joe took a seat, his stomach churning. Now if only the bats in his stomach would go away.


	22. Chapter 22

I'd like to thank Cherylann Rivers, KDesai, rebeccareneesharplake _and Guest_ anyone else for reading and following my story. Bet you didn't think you'd be hearing from me this soon. Sorry this chapter is kind of short. Well this chapter is actually the first half of a chapter I split in two, this part is more about Joe. I thinks things are staring to come to ahead for him. I hope to have the second half up as soon as I can. I want to thank my beta reader elven buddy for helping me.

Pressure chapter 22

"Dr. Reese, I know my father means well and everything; but with all due respect, I really don't want to talk about Hayden". Joe said, clutching the arm of the leather chair. "I just want to see Henry."

"Joe, Dr. Reese has a point." Frank suggested, realizing his brother was on the verge of another attack. "It might help stop your panic attacks."

"Frank, we've already been over this! I'm done talking about it!" Joe shouted anger evident in his voice, as his breathing grew ragged and heavy.

"Since you're in a talking mood all of a sudden, you talk!" Joe got to his feet and proceeded to the door. "I'm leaving!"

"No, you're not!" Frank countered back, stepping in front of his brother to prevent his leaving. Suddenly, Joe was hit with a flashback of Hayden standing in front of him in the classroom.

 _"Are you threatening me?" Mr. Hayden fired back, his face red with anger, as he stood up to face the younger Hardy boy._

 _"Call it whatever you want. Cause, I'm going to put a stop to this abuse." Joe glared at the teacher. "Mr. Ryan might be very interested in hearing about these tutoring sessions"._

 _"If you tell anyone about this..." He snarled, before shoving Joe to the floor. "Your brother just might have an accident."_

"Nobody threatens… my brother!" Joe shouted as he lunged at Frank without warning. "Joe!" The move caused Frank to lose his balance and fall backwards, hitting the door hard and landing on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Oh my goodness!" The doctor exclaimed as she jumped out of her chair to go to the older Hardy boy's aid. "Frank, are you alright?" She asked hurriedly kneeling next to him.

"Yeah… I think so." Frank replied in between breaths as he tried to get his breathing back under control.

"What'd I just do...?" Joe snapped out of his trance, his blue eyes widening as the realization struck him. "Oh my god...I hit Frank!"

"You sure you aren't hurt?" Dr. Reese asked, her voice filled with concern as she helped Frank to his feet.

"No, I'm fine. I just got the wind knocked out of me." Frank answered, finally getting his breathing back under control. Then he noticed Joe staring at him in shock, tears filling his eyes. "Joe..."

"Frank, I-I'm so sorry." Joe apologized, ashamed of his actions. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry." He threw his arms around his brother, sobbing.

"Little brother, it's okay. I'm okay." Frank said, trying to soothe his brother. "I know you didn't mean it." He gently pushed him away and began to use his thumbs to wipe the tears from Joe's blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned for his brother.

"I don't know." Joe broke away from the grip Frank had on him. He slowly sank into a chair, placing his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. "I feel like I'm going crazy. Maybe I am?" He said as his voice calmed. "I just want Hayden out of my head".

"Joe, you're not crazy. I think this is why Dad had us come here. We need to talk about what we've been through. Just hang in there; we're going to get through this." Frank said, sitting down next to him rubbing his back, trying to comfort him.

"I can't believe I hit you." Joe continued to sob.

"Joe, look at me," Dr. Reese answered, her voice calming. "I assure you, you're not crazy." The doctor sat on the edge of her desk. "I may have an answer for you."

Joe lifted his head, giving the doctor his attention, "Have you ever heard of the term post-traumatic stress disorder or in short PTSD?"

"Isn't that a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event?" Frank answered with a question. He wanted to understand what was going on with his brother and help him in any way possible.

"That's correct."

"I thought that was a condition only a soldier suffered from coming off the battlefield?" Joe sat up and began wiping his tear stained eyes. He began thinking about that question. "Do you think that's what's wrong with me?

"Actually, PTSD can happen to anyone." Dr. Reese confirmed. "I'm positive that's what you're going through, Joe."

"PTSD is also a common effect of domestic violence. Men and women who have been the victim of domestic abuse or violence are at high-risk for developing PTSD because the experience can be considered a trauma. Any act that the victim sees as frightening and horrific can cause severe trauma; and domestic violence and abuse can certainly fall into this category."

"When in danger, it's natural to feel afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes the body in order to prepare to defend themselves against or avoid the danger. This is the "fight or flight" response and is a healthy reaction, meant to protect a person from harm." Pausing for a moment she then continued, "However in people who have post traumatic stress disorder this reaction has been changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they're no longer in danger."

Frank sat listening attentively to the doctor's explanation. "Joe, it's okay if you're not ready to talk." Dr. Reese said kindly. "I'll be here when you're ready. But if you're uncomfortable talking to me, I can always refer you to someone else. The same goes for you, Frank."

"Thank you, doctor," Frank said with a nod. "Right now, I'm worried about my brother. I can't stand to see him like this." He turned to Joe and began tearing up. "Little brother, I want…no I need you to be okay, please talk to us. You do know you're safe don't you?"

Instead of answering Joe turned his head to face the window.

Dr. Reese said, "Let's talk about something else." She asked in an attempt to change the subject. "I'd like to hear more about your panic attacks Joe. How long have they been happening?"

Silence filled the room. Frank and Dr. Reese waited patiently for the younger Hardy to answer, although Frank was starting to think that Joe wasn't going to say anything.

Then, to Frank's relief, Joe finally answered, clearing his throat a bit. "It's nothing new really. I've had then before, they've just never been this bad." Joe touched his bandaged lip as his leg bounced impatiently. "It's gotten worse lately, though."

"When did the panic attacks start?"

Joe cleared his throat again as he looked at the doctor. "Our father's a damn good detective who's sent some of the world's most hardened criminals to prison over the years. Some of them have lost their lives during an altercation with him. And along with that he's made a lot of enemies who want revenge."

"The best way to do that is to go after his children; it's not uncommon for either Frank or I to fall victim to Dad's enemies."

"We grew up surrounded by the law enforcement business; we know the risks and dangers that are involved. We have to constantly watch our backs and be aware of our surroundings."

Frank nodded in agreement letting Joe continue his explanation. "As Fenton Hardy's youngest, I guess people see me as an easy target; I've been threatened, beat up and kidnapped on numerous occasions. A few days later I'll have been found usually locked in a trunk or a dark room".

"Because of that, I can't stand the feeling of being confined. The thought of being trapped with no way out terrifies me. Just as an example, even now I'm wondering if your office door is unlocked." He nodded back towards the door. "That's why I'm always moving; I need to be."

"Joe, have you talked to anyone else about this before?" Dr. Reese asked.

"No, I've really never dealt with it." Joe shrugged, trying to find the right words to express himself. "I guess it's because I've always known it comes with the territory of being a detective; it's no big deal."

He trailed off as he slowly realized the truth before beginning to speak once more. "My dad was right; I've been through it so much that I've become immune to the violence. I know now that it was wrong for them to hurt me, just like what Hayden did was wrong. Abuse is abuse, no matter what it is. "

Dr. Reese put in. "That is not an easy thing to admit. I was abused. Even saying that sentence out loud is scary. I can tell by looking at the both of you that you keep yourselves in pretty good shape." She paused for a moment to prepare her next thought.

"Let's be clear about something." She reiterated, "Abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. Even the strongest man in the world can be a victim of abuse. An abuser's goal is to gain or maintain power and control over their victims."

"Joe, I'm guessing that you have a mixture of emotions swirling around inside you. You're feeling hurt, scared and angry, and maybe a little humiliated."

"Yeah, something like that". Joe commented clearing his throat while rubbing his hand intermittently on his jeans.

"And I imagine, Frank," The doctor turned her attention to the older Hardy boy, "You're feeling the same way."

Frank thought about that for a moment and the words Joe had spoken. Maybe he too had become immune to the violence of his father's enemies. He and Joe had both faced off against some of the world's most hardened criminals as well.

Hell, he was skilled in martial arts and yet it was still hard for him to understand that he had been the victim of abuse.

Frank looked down at the bandages on his left wrist that covered the lacerations, as the thought of Hayden standing over him, a belt ready to beat him in his hand, entered his mind. Frank nodded yes as his reply. He began rubbing Joe's back to comfort him.

Dr. Reese began again, "There is also a feeling that nobody likes talking about and that's shame. Shame is one of the biggest issues with abuse and it is often shame that can have the most devastating effect on the mental health and welfare of a victim of abuse."

"I know this feeling myself." Dr. Reese stated placing a hand on her chest, "because I experienced sexual abuse for many years with someone who was very close to me and consequently I suffered from feelings of desperate shame and this led to mental anguish and pain including anxiety, depression and compulsive behaviors."

"But, Hayden didn't sexually abuse us." Joe finally found his voice. "It was more mental and physical."

"Yes, I know. However, I've found that feeling ashamed is very common among people who've experienced any type of abuse. Victims carry the shame that do not belong to them, but rather to the abuser."

"The aggressor projects the blame and guilt onto the victim and the victim accepts that projection as truth. It is like a life imprisonment for a crime that someone else has committed." Dr. Reese continued on. "Through my own experience I learned to let go of that shame. I decided to take back that power that was stolen from me."

Frank was fascinated by the doctor's story and just had to ask. "How do you take back that power?"

"You take back the power by talking about the abuse whether it's with a support group, your parents or a councilor. Through your own experiences, boys you can help somebody else. That's why I became a councilor."

"I no longer wanted to be the victim." She continued, her voice full of conviction. "What happened to me wasn't my fault. And in time I found the courage to forgive myself and eventually my abuser."

"Forgive?" Joe said bitterly. "Forgive a man like Jack Hayden? A man who plans deranged tutoring sessions where he'd encourage other students to beat up Henry when he had trouble reading something! HENRY IS THE MAN'S OWN SON!"

"He beat Henry repeatedly with a belt in some sick twisted plan to make a man out of him. The proof is covering every inch of his body," Joe took a breath in order to help himself calm down. "I'm sure you've seen Henry's bruised and battered face in person."

"Then last night that _son of a bitch_ was going to beat my brother with a belt." Joe said seething with anger. He added, pointing to the bandage on his lip. " _HE_ shoved a knife in my mouth… before locking me into a rat infested closet!"

Joe shook his head adamantly, before looking right at the doctor before saying, "No, Dr. Reese, a man like Jack Hayden doesn't deserve forgiveness. _HE_ deserves to die."


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you anyone for reading and following my story. I'm back with the second half again it's kind of a short one. I want to thank my beta reader elven buddy for helping me. Just so everyone knows I do my research on topics like abuse and decompression therapy before writing about them I feel that's important. There will probably be a few more chapters left I'm going to be wrapping things up so I can start writing the sequel.

Starting with this chapter will lead into the sequel. Hope you like

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Pressure chapter 23

Frank gasped at this. He hadn't ever thought he'd hear Joe say something like that. "Little brother, you better watch what you're saying."

"I don't care, it's the truth. That's how I feel. I hate Hayden. I hope he dies a slow, painful death!" Joe replied hotly, looking at his brother straight on. "Tell me you don't feel the same way."

He turned to Dr. Reese and asked, "What's said is this room, stays here right?"

"Yes, everything said in this room remains confidential." The doctor answered.

Frank turned back to answer his brother. "Yes, I feel the same way you do, Joe." He sighed wearily. "I _could've_ choked the life out of Hayden in his hospital room that day. But, I _didn't_ because that's not the kind of justice Dad's taught us. We have to let the court decide Hayden's fate the legal way."

" _We're_ the good guys, Joe remember that," He touched his brother's arm. "It's important that we stay in control. Otherwise people like Hayden would win. We can't let him win."

"We'll see." Joe quickly changed the subject, not giving Frank any time to respond. "Dr. Reese, could PTSD explain why Henry reacted the way he did with our friends, mainly Biff?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, Henry's going through the same thing you are. And yes I've seen the horrible condition he is in. It's a horrible thing that happened to him. At first it was like pulling teeth trying to get him to open up to me."

"I started using a decompression therapy method with Henry. It's something I feel is more effective than just regular medicine, though I will prescribe medicine if I feel I have no other option. I think decompression therapy would be very beneficial to you Joe."

"What is it?" Joe asked skeptical of the idea.

"It's a way to release stress. Whenever you're feeling stressed or you feel your anxiety starting to increase, you go find a quiet place to disconnect from the world, your bedroom for example, turn off your phone and computer and just sit and relax."

"Some people use meditation as a way to relax, some will exercise or go take walks and spend time outdoors. Find something that works for you. Personally Joe, I think a journal would work well in your case; you can write down your thoughts and feelings. If you want to you can share it with me, your brother, or your parents although you don't have to if you'd rather not."

"Does that sound like something you'd be willing to try?"

Joe exchanged looks with Frank. "Joe, I think you should give it a try." Frank encouraged him.

Joe turned back to Dr. Reese, he was still unsure about the idea. "How is Henry doing with this decompression therapy thing? Is it working for him?"

"It's still early yet, but yes, so far I'd say it has. For Henry, drawing seems to be the key." Dr. Reese got to her feet and walked around her desk, pulling a white sheet of paper from the top drawer, handing it to Joe.

"Henry, did this?" Under his breath, he whispered. "Is this supposed to be me?"

Glancing over Joe's shoulder, Frank got his first glimpse of the drawing. It was a detailed sketch of a comic superhero cartoon.

The character appeared to be wearing some sort of dark blue metallic suit that appeared to be armoured. You could see the muscular frame, gold wrist guards, knee high army boots and a gold breastplate covering his chest. The character wore a mask under a wave of blonde hair and was standing in a fierce looking pose while holding a galactic ray gun.

Frank took the picture from Joe and began to study the character's face closely and came to the conclusion that yes, it did resemble Joe. He couldn't help but feel a little creeped out by Henry's drawing.

"I believe so," The doctor answered Joe. "Although I don't think the character has a name yet. Henry told me he wants to create his own comic book. He has this dream of becoming a comic artist on day. Right now I'm just happy to have gotten the lines of communication open with him."

"Mainly all he talks about is comic books, Spider-man and you Joe. The only thing he won't talk about is his father or the abuse."

"He talks about me? What does he say?" Joe asked thinking of his friend.

Dr. Reese answered. "That's right. Henry talks about what a great friend you are to him, how you never made fun of him like the other kids at school. He seems to feel that you're the only person he can trust; he's blaming himself for getting you in trouble with his father".

"That's one of the reasons I need to see him." Joe was honored that Henry still trusted him. He didn't know what to make of the drawing either. "I want to help Henry in any way I can."

He turned to Frank as he said, "I just wish my brother would feel the same way I do."

"I do want to help Henry, I honestly do." Frank replied back. "It's things like this..." He held up the drawing of Joe. "Don't you find this a bit disturbing?"

"It's just a drawing Frank. Don't make it into anything more than what it actually is."

"Well, I'm sorry Joe but I don't like it. I don't like how this whole case is affecting you physically; I've watched you go from throwing up in an alley to now these panic attacks, it's too much."

"Frank…"

"Little brother, please, let me finish." Frank stopped him. He was going to make his brother see reason one way or another. "You have this tendency to jump into things without thinking of the dangers. From the beginning you had your guard down with Mr. Hayden because you felt safe with him. You didn't think a teacher could be a threat."

"Then things changed when you began hanging around Henry. Mr. Hayden didn't like you hanging around Henry because he didn't want you finding out about the abuse. And that's why Hayden started getting violent with you."

"My fear is that the same thing could happen with Henry. I know you Joe, I know you so well. I know you're going to get so involved in trying to help Henry that you're going to let your guard down."

"Joe, I know you think it won't happen. The truth is you just don't know. I mean look at what happened with our friends."

Joe shook his head. "Henry won't hurt me. I trust him."

Frank took a deep breath, keeping his voice calm and steady. "Dr. Reese, what are the chances that Henry could turn abusive like Hayden?" He asked hoping the doctor would come to his aid and help his brother see reason.

Dr. Reese folded her hands together she leaned forward and answered him. "Around 30% of people who are abused as children go on to become abusers themselves."

"What...?" Joe gasped as he glanced at Frank. He looked down at his hands. Angry tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes. He knew what his big brother had been saying all along was right; he couldn't bring himself to admit the truth that Henry's abusive behavior bothered him. He wanted to believe with his whole heart that his friend wasn't a monster like his abusive father.

"Joe, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be hard on you. I don't want you to get hurt again." Frank's voice cracked heavy with emotion he placed a comforting hand on Joe's arm. He let his eyes linger on the bandage on his little brother's lip and arms.

This wasn't about him winning an argument with his brother. This was about protecting Joe at all costs. He'd pleaded with Hayden to let him take the abuse for his little brother. Frank again looked down at the bandages on his left wrist that covered the lacerations. The guilt and shame was eating at him for failing to do his job of protecting Joe. He hadn't been able to do anything to stop the abuse.

Frank looked at the drawing of Joe again. He suddenly felt his big brother instincts kicking in without his consent. He knew he'd have to follow his own advice and allow Joe to figure out how to do things on his own _._ Joe was right, he had to let him. Being apart, would hurt Frank knew, for both of them. But being apart didn't mean he'd stop looking out for his little brother.

Thinking about it, he knew he couldn't go away to Princeton without a plan. He had to figure out how to look out for his brother, while giving him his independence at the same time. He wasn't going to allow himself to fail in his job of protecting Joe. Not this time.

He heard Dr. Reese's voice as though from far away as she broke into his thoughts. "I'm sorry. I know that's such a shock to you Joe."

"I get what you're saying Frank, really, I do. I promise you, I won't let my guard down around him," Joe wiped his eyes.

"Henry doesn't have to be like Hayden right? He could be the opposite of his father and break the cycle of abuse." His voice grew stronger as he went on, "You can help him do that, right?"

It tore Frank's heart to hear those words come out of his brother's mouth. Joe had always had the faith of a child. Aunt Gertrude had once said, "Childlike faith refers not to a tendency to believe anything and everything we are told, but rather to an open readiness of mind, free from prejudice and preconceived ideas." That described Joe to a T.

He was just astonished at the amount of faith Joe had in Henry. He could only hope that Henry wouldn't disappoint him.

"I can't guarantee that Henry won't become like his father." Dr. Reese was deeply touched by Joe's words. She paused for a moment while trying to find the right words to reassure the teen. She said sincerely, "Yes Joe I can help Henry overcome his abusive past; I can give him the tools he needs to live a happy, normal productive life. I can also help him with his dyslexia."

She concluded with, "Just keep in mind this won't be an easy fix. It could take months even years for Henry to break the cycle of abuse. Ultimately, it has to be up to Henry to want to make that change."

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Frank saw concern in his little brother's blue eyes. "Yes, I understand," Joe replied, letting out a heavy sigh, "You said I could help someone through my own experience, I can help Henry, and I can talk to him."

"Can we go see Henry now, please?"

"Okay. Henry should be eating dinner right now," Dr. Reese replied at last. "Let's see if he's up for some company."

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Frank just shook his head; the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach was telling him this was a bad idea. He got up and followed Joe and Dr. Reese out of the office and down the hallway where they met Con sitting outside of Henry's room.

"Henry, you have some visitors." Dr. Reese led the boys into the room. To the brothers' surprise they found Henry sitting up in bed with a tray of food in front of him. He still had monitors and an IV sticking out of him.

A white bandage was placed over his left eye, in addition to his face still being all bruised and swollen. He was wearing a light blue Spiderman t-shirt.

Walking further into the room Joe called to his friend. "Henry I'm..." he started to say before getting cut off.

"Get out!" Henry shouted, throwing a food tray at Joe.


	24. Writer's Note:

Hi everyone, I apologize for the delay with the story. I have some things going on and promise to be back soon. Plus, I'm working on finishing the story.

However, I've hit a road block in my story. I don't know whether or not to kill off Hayden or keep him alive for a trial. Here are two summaries that could be the sequel to Pressure (rewritten) the name is undecided. I know I'm probably not supposed to do this but I need your help in determined where to go with Pressure (rewritten) it will also help me to decide the sequel. Which ones would you want to read?

 **Aftermath**

 **Summary:**

Frank and Joe are still reeling from the aftermath of the abuse they suffered from their former teacher. The trial for Jack Hayden is a fast approaching. The brothers are called to testify as well as Hayden's son Henry who is the star witness; Henry is terrified of his abusive father and has agreed to testify only if Joe is in the courtroom with him. Joe suddenly goes missing its race against time to find him or Hayden goes free. ***It would help to read (Pressure rewritten) first it would make this story since.**

 **Or**

 **A brother's revenge**

 **Summary:**

(Following of Jack Hayden's death someone is out for revenge) Away at college Frank receives devastating news that Joe has gone missing and is feared dead. He heads home determined to find him and prove his brother is alive. Frank begins to suspect Joe's friend Henry when he learns of his disturbing behavior towards his brother. ***It would help to read (Pressure rewritten) first it would make this story since.**


	25. Chapter 25

Hi, I'm back. I want to thank those who responded to two my summaries from chapter 24. I couldn't believe the response I got. You guys are awesome and it encourages to continue writing. **As it stands there are 7 votes for Aftermath and 6 for A brother's revenge.** And I had a few who liked both which I have to agree because I like them both. I might consider doing both if all goes will. Although with Aftermath I don't know a lot of court stuff but it might be fun to do. :) Either way poor Joe. I have two chapter left then I will start writing the sequel .

Here is my new chapter hope you like. Please let me know what you think :)

* * *

Pressure chapter 25

Utilizing his quick reflexes, Joe threw his arms up in order to protect his face and head as the tray hit, sending food all over him. The tray fell to the floor with a loud crash! _What the hell?_ He stood there dumbfounded as he tried to process what had just happened, breaking into a cold sweat as his breathing began to speed up. _… as another memory of Hayden flashed in his head…._

Please be there! Please be there…" Joe pleaded as he ran down the hallway to his teacher's classroom. He'd just come from football practice when he remembered his paper. He skidded to a halt in front of the open door that led to Mr. Hayden's classroom. Yes! He cheered when he spotted the burly teacher at his desk grading papers.

"Mr. Hayden, here's my paper." He said in between breaths as he approached the teacher's desk. He held out his assignment to Mr. Hayden.

"What day is it, Mr. Hardy?" Mr. Hayden grumbled as he ignored the boy's outstretched hand in order to go on grading the next paper.

"Sir?" Joe asked as he laid his paper on the desk.

Mr. Hayden clicked his tongue out of annoyance as he stopped his grading and finally looked up at Joe. "What day is it?" He asked growling.

"It's Tuesday sir."

"When did I hand out the assignment?"

"Look I know it's a day late." Joe answered with a sigh. "But I have a good reason...my brother and I were helping our father out with a cas… a…something and we didn't get home until late."

"Well perhaps instead of playing detective you should be more attentive to your school work."

Anger flared up inside Joe at the teacher's remark. "I do sir. My brother and I both take school very seriously. Like I told you, I was helping my father out with something and we got home late. Frank, he helped me with my paper; it was two o'clock in the morning when we finished. Then Henry Jacobs needed help with his paper when I got to school this morning..."

"You were helping who?" Mr. Hayden cut in narrowing his eyes at Joe.

Joe could see the anger in the man's dark eyes. He didn't know why the teacher was getting so worked up over a late paper. "I said I was helping Henry with his…"

"No excuses! Now get OUT!" Mr. Hayden fired back, his face red with anger, he picked up a book off of his desk and threw it at the younger Hardy's face.

With quick reflexes Joe threw his arms up to block his face as the book as it landed at his feet. The tray fell to the floor with a loud crash! What the hell? He stood dumbfounded trying to process of what just happened and broke into a cold sweat and started breathing heavily _…_

"Joe!" Frank was at his brother's side in an instant.

"Get out!" Henry clutched at his chest, gasping. "I can't breathe… I can't breathe!"

"Henry, you're having a panic attack. Take slow and steady breaths. Calm down." Dr. Reese said while consoling her patient. "You're okay. You're safe."

All of a sudden Joe grabbed at his chest, also gasping for air. "I... can't... breathe!"

"Frank, take your brother outside." The doctor instructed. Without hesitation Frank escorted Joe back out into the hallway. The younger Hardy whirled around to see Frank and Con's concerned faces.

Joe couldn't catch his breath. "Joe, look at me." Frank said firmly, keeping a steady hand on his brother's trembling shoulder. "Take slow, even breaths. Calm down". He began wiping the splattered food off of Joe's face and shirt, talking all the while. Joe did as instructed all the while listening to his brother's calm voice.

"That's it, Joe; listen to Frank." Con encouraged his young friend while standing next to the elder brother. "Just take slow and steady breaths. You're going to be okay." Con said handing Joe a cup of water. "Here take a couple of sips."

After a few minutes, Joe's breathing was back to normal. "Thank you." He managed to say, before taking the cup Con offered and taking a couple sips of water.

Frank growled lowly. "I knew Henry couldn't be trusted. Like father, like son." He couldn't stop the rage building inside of him as he thought of Henry throwing his tray at Joe.

"No, Frank, it was my fault." Joe said calmly taking a breath. Joe kept his voice as he said, "I forgot that we have to be careful how we approach him." He pointed at himself. "I shouldn't have walked into the room as I did. As usual, I was loud and impulsive and it scared Henry."

"I need to go and apologize to him and make sure he's okay." With that, he handed Con back the cup of water and started to leave.

Frank objected to the idea. "No, you're not. We're going home." He was glad that Joe wasn't seriously hurt. It could've been a lot worse than just getting food thrown all over him. And next time… well, there wasn't going to be a next time because, he wasn't going to let Joe anywhere near Henry.

"I have to see Henry first." Joe argued then turned to go back to the room.

"Stay away from him!" Frank demanded. He realized it'd come out a little more forcefully than he'd intended as Joe stopped in his tracks, whirling around to face him.

"Was that an order?" Joe looked straight at asked, "You're ordering me... to stay away from Henry?" Con saw a flash of anger ignite in the younger brother's eyes as he directed them at Frank.

Pressing his lips together, Frank swallowed back the anger that threatened to come out. "Joe I…"

"You tell me I have to figure out things for myself, yet you won't me. You can't have it both ways Frank." Joe cut him off, "And, you've got to stop comparing Henry to Hayden. That's not fair. Henry didn't mean to hit me with that tray. I scared him and that's why he reacted the way he did."

He couldn't believe how defensive Joe was getting over Henry. "Are you kidding me?!" Frank couldn't hold back his anger any longer. The words just rolled off his tongue, "Didn't you hear a single word that was said in Dr. Reese's office? Then again maybe you did, you just chose not to. I think maybe you're still in denial."

"Yes, I was listening and no, I'm not in denial. I choose to believe that Henry will overcome his abusive behavior and he won't turn into his father." Joe countered back. "I'm beginning to understand something about you". He didn't know why he was being confrontational with his brother. He just felt this need to defend his friend.

He felt as if he was stuck on roller coaster of emotions. Maybe it had to do with his PTSD, he wasn't sure, but all he knew was that Princeton was taking his brother away from him and he still had the aftermath of Hayden and now Henry's abuse in his head. He just wanted to get off this ride.

Frank narrowed his eyes at his brother. "What's that?" He asked defensively.

Joe couldn't help himself, "You hate Henry." He balled his hands into fists. "Maybe, Hayden was right after all, maybe you are just like him."

As quick as a flash of lightning, Frank grabbed Joe by the front of his shirt and pulled him forward so they were inches apart, and in each other's faces. "Don't you ever say that to me again!" he snarled. His brown eyes were blazing hot as he directed them at Joe.

"Guys!" Con shouted. "Hey, guys come on break it up!"

Once again Con was completely stunned by the boys' actions; they were both so out of character. It was understandable given what they'd been through, although he'd never thought the brothers would ever take their hurt out on each other. The police officer cursed Hayden under his breath for all the pain he'd caused.

"Why don't we wait and see what Dr. Reese has to say, first?" Con stepped between the brothers before the situation escalated even more than it already did. "Besides, and I'm sure your parents will agree with me when I say that with the way you're both acting, neither one of you should be going into that room. Henry doesn't need this right now."

When he saw that the brothers were not going to comply he decided to defuse the situation himself. "At least take a moment to cool off." Con suggested. "Frank, go take a walk. And Joe, you go wash the food off of your face."

"Fine by me, it's not like he listens to me anyway." Frank whirled around kicking over a chair as he walked away from Joe.

"The same goes for me." Joe crossed his arms across his chest as he walked away towards the restrooms.

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Grabbing some paper towels out of the dispenser, he quickly stepped up to the bathroom sink. Turning on the water he began to wipe the food off of his face, all while being careful not to get the bandage on his lip wet. Stopping suddenly, Joe gasped at the figure staring back at him in the mirror. He hardly recognized himself; what the hell had happened? Touching his bandaged lip he probed it a bit before starting to gently peel it off his bottom lip.

The swelling had gone down, but he saw the stitches as an ugly reminder of what Hayden did to him. How had he allowed this to happen? He'd never forget the taste of the metal knife, the pain of the blade as it sliced his mouth. Touching the bandages on his arms, he shivered at the thought of the rats.

Joe began to tear up as he thought about the awful things he'd said and done to his brother. He hadn't meant to hurt him. He'd been trying to do the right thing in helping Henry. Instead, he'd ended up hurting the one person who meant the world to him, his best friend, and his big brother. He'd hit and viciously insulted him by comparing him to that son of a bitch, Hayden. How could he do that to him? Frank was going through hell himself. He'd been going to take the belt for me.

Being the big brother as always, Frank had been just trying to protect me, and really, it would probably never change, no matter where life took them.

Sliding down the wall, Joe sat on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs. The strong and fearless Joe Hardy, who'd always been ready to kick ass, was gone. In his place was this scared, weak, stupid, broken person; he'd never felt so lost.

I'm sorry Frank, I'm so sorry.

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Sam was at the front desk talking to Officer Baker when he saw his friend walk through the front doors of the precinct.

"Fenton, how are the boys?" Sam asked with concern.

He still couldn't wrap his head around the image of Frank, tied to that dirty old bed as he, Fenton as well as the police had burst into that basement and found Hayden standing over him, ready to beat him with that belt. As for what the bastard had done to Joe...Anger ripped through Sam as he thought of Joe shut in that rat infested closet. Sam would have strangled the life out of Hayden, right along with Fenton had it not been for their jobs and needing to do things by the book. Sam couldn't help the way he felt; the Hardys were the closest thing he had to a family. And nobody hurt his family and got away with it.

Fenton joined Sam and Baker at the front desk. "Physically, they're going to be fine." He answered rubbing his tired eyes. "As for everything else, it'll take time and counseling to help them through this."

"Counseling, how did you get the boys to agree to that?" Sam raised an eyebrow at hearing this.

"I have my ways." Fenton nodded. He'd promised Laura that he'd keep everyone safe, which he was determined to do. He quickly explained his plan of action in getting his sons to talk to Dr. Reese about everything they'd endured to his friends. Having left the hospital a few hours ago, Fenton was confident the boys were in good hands.

"Dr. Reese is going to have her work cut out for her with those two." Sam replied thinking of the boys. "Since neither one of your boys would willingly open up and talk about their own experiences. I'm even more surprised you're letting them visit Henry, after what you told me about his abusive behavior towards the kids."

"To be honest with you, Sam," Fenton said in response. "I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea myself, especially with Joe. He's become friends with the kid. But, Dr. Reese assured me that she could handle them. Plus, Con's there as well to keep an eye on things so I'm going to trust that everything's okay." Though he had said he'd trust them, Fenton really couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on with the boys.

As his thoughts changed directions and his mood darkened, Fenton growled. "Right now, I want some answers. Straight from Hayden." He caught Sam exchanging looks with Officer Baker. There was a look on his friend's face that told him something was going on.

"What? Sam, what is it?"

"Baker, would you go inform the Chief that Fenton is here?" Sam asked the officer.

Baker nodded okay before leaving.

"Sam, what the hell is going on?"

Sam sighed wearily. "Fenton, I was about to call you."

"Why?" Fenton asked slowly. He didn't like the sound of this. "The Chief said to make your way to his office." Officer Baker announced as he re-entered the front room, saving Sam from having to say anything as he came back before Sam had time to say anything.

Entering Chief Collig's office with Sam right behind him, the first thing Fenton noticed was that Carl was already sitting in one of the chairs in front of the Chief's desk. The next thing he noticed was that Carl was mopping his forehead with a handkerchief, while the Chief wore a pissed off look. Something was definitely up; the tension in the room was building.

"Fenton, how are..." Chief Collig managed to ask calmly before getting abruptly cut off.

"The boys are going to be fine." Fenton answered. "Now, what the hell is going on?" He asked, getting right to the point. He wasn't in the mood for guessing games. And if it concerned his boys he wanted to know.

Chief Collig let out a breath as he glanced over at the nervous lawyer. "Carl, you want to tell him your good news first?"

"What good news?"

"The charges against Joe have been dropped." Carl sighed as he placed his handkerchief in the pocket of his jacket.

"The charges have been dropped, how?" Fenton nearly gasped at his shocking words. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful, but still, Fenton had to know the reason why.

"It's due to extenuating circumstances surrounding Hayden's case." The Chief broke into the conversation, cursing under his breath.

"What extenuating circumstances?"

Fenton turned to Sam who nodded at the silent question before starting to explain. "The Chief and I questioned him together. We asked him about his attempt to hit Frank with the belt and locking Joe in that rat infested closet and all the abuse he'd inflicted on Henry." Sam's voice grew in anger as he spoke. "At first he was quiet and refused to talk and of course his lawyer was in there advising him on what to say. Hayden kept rubbing his hands together like he was nervous. "

"Then out of the blue Hayden broke down acting like some distraught crazy person. He was crying about how much he loved his son. He admitted that yes, he wasn't a perfect father but he was doing the best he could to both raise Henry and overcome the shadows of his own father. He claimed that he was out of his mind and didn't know why he did what he did".

Chief Collig cut in. "Hayden said it was something his father used to do to him and his brother. Apparently, their father loved to play mind games with them by testing out their manhood by beating them with a belts or locking them in a closet. He was embarrassed by the fact that his sons' were slow learners like Henry. They were always getting beat up by classmates in school. No sons of his were going to be weak and stupid."

"Hayden, claims to not know why he did what he did?" Fenton repeated, "Then how do you explain the deranged tutoring sessions?" He challenged, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Hayden encouraged other students to beat up and otherwise bully his own son. He planned it".

"No sane person would…" He stopped in mid sentence as the realization hit him; he knew where this was going. Damn!

Sam added to the story. "We believe Hayden is playing the victim here. Even having studied the man's face closely while questioning at the same time, we're unsure if he's playing the victim or not. He's very convincing; I mean, there were actual tears running down his face, he went so far as to even talk about committing suicide. His lawyer's currently working on getting a court order to get his client to undergo a mental evaluation."

"Who's his lawyer?" Fenton asked finally finding his voice. He could feel his temper rising.

"Daniel Bartend a young hotshot defense attorney from New York and he is good, he plays to win." Carl spoke up. "He's pushing for an insanity defense. He might get it, too. That would mean Hayden could get a lighter sentence, or even no jail time at all. Instead the judge could end up sending him to a mental health facility for treatment. Not only that, but Bartend is also trying to get the attempted murder charge dropped; he's determined to prove his client is incompetent to stand trial."

"Bartend is also representing Hayden's younger brother Ryan. As a school official who failed to report that his students were being abused, Ryan could face jail time ranging anywhere from 30 days to 5 years with the possibility of fines ranging from $300 to $10,000. Or he could get both, the time plus the fine."

"A hearing is set to be held in two weeks. The judge will determine if there's enough evidence for Jack Hayden to go to trial."

"So, basically Ryan could get just a slap on the wrist." Fenton said heatedly.

"Yeah, it looks the way." Chief Collig grumbled. "But right now our main focus is Jack Hayden."

"I've been retained as crown prosecutor." Carl spoke up again. "If the case does go to trial Hayden could be looking at a 25 year prison sentence for multiple counts of child abuse as well as the attempted murder of his son. I have enough evidence to build a case against him." He ticked the points off his fingers. "The statements the police took from students here as well as over at Southport. The bloody knife. The belt. The pictures the hospital took of Henry's injuries."

"There's just one thing."

"What's that?" Fenton asked, though he already knew the answer.

"I have to prove that Jack Hayden is competent to stand trial. I would have to subpoena the students who reported being abused by Hayden, to testify." Carl cleared his throat before answering. "And I'm sure, Frank and Joe would be willing to testify against him." The lawyer paused to collect his thoughts. "I have to tell you Fenton; Joe is a very perceptive young man. He asked me the other day if Henry would have to testify against his father."

"I wasn't sure at the time, but considering Cindy Hayden' has refused to press charges against her husband it looks like it might just come to that." Carl said honestly. "Henry Jacobs would be my key witness."

Fenton began to rub at his temple, willing his headache to go away. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke. Fenton took a calming breath and said, "I know. In fact Joe's been right about this case all along. I think we were all coming to the same conclusion; he just had the guts to speak up first." He rubbed a hand over his chin and covered his mouth as he grinned proudly thinking of his youngest.

"Henry's the one this case is centered around. Really though, I don't know if that kid is even remotely close to ready for something like this. He's still recovering after all".

"Dr. Reese, his therapist, has told me that Henry won't talk about what he's been through and avoids the subject of his father completely. He's terrified of his father, with good reason. It'd be cruel to put Henry through a trial. I know that Frank and Joe would agree to testify, but I'm not sure if they're ready to, considering they just got out of the hospital themselves."

He added another point, "It's possible that Hayden knows exactly what he's doing. Abusers know how to manipulate people in order to get what they want. That's why Hayden's never been charged with a crime until now. That's why Cindy Hayden refuses to press charges; he's always gotten away with it. And now it looks as though he may be trying to manipulate his way through the court system."

"You know, I think Hayden may be showing the classic signs of being a sociopath." Sam continued on Fenton's train of thought. "He's manipulative and cunning, and shows no empathy. He believes himself to be all-powerful and all-knowing, entitled to his every wish. He has no sense of personal boundaries. He's playing the victim to avoid prosecution".

Fenton nodded in agreement. "Joe predicted that Hayden might get off on a technicality. If it's proven that Hayden is mentally unstable." Fenton finished his thoughts. "Then I fear that Joe may be right. If that happens a lot of lives will be danger, including, Frank, Joe and Henry."

"Where is Hayden right now?"

"He's in his cell. I'm not taking any chances. Having threatened suicide, he has to be heavily guarded." Chief Collig replied. "I agree, Henry might be our only chance in getting Hayden convicted. That's one of the reasons I have Con Riley guarding Henry's room." He sat back in his chair and asked, "Fenton, are you still taking care of arrangements to place Henry?"

"Yes, the arrangements have already been made." Fenton replied to the chief of police. "The person he's going to be staying with will be meeting me at the hospital, when we pick up Henry."

"Well, I'm intrigued to know who this person is." Chief Collig said, raising an eyebrow.

"If everything goes well, I'll let you know." Fenton changed the subject. "What's the latest word on the disappearances of Carolyn Matthews and Cindy Hayden?"

"So far we've had zip". The Chief said in disgust. "It's like the ladies disappeared off the face of the earth."

"Well sooner or later, they're going to have to resurface again. As Laura would say, 'a mother can never ignore her maternal instincts when it comes to her children.' Cindy Hayden loves her son, I'm sure. After all, she was very adamant about wanting him back". Fenton pointed out. "I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them".

A few minutes later, Fenton and Sam stepped out of the chief's office as soon as the meeting was over. "Sam I want you to do some digging. Find out all you can on Cindy Jacobs Hayden, Carolyn Matthews, Jack and Ryan Hayden.'

"You got it." Sam asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I want to see Hayden for myself before I go back to the hospital." Fenton replied, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on with the boys. "I need to explain what's going on to Joe. We'll have to get past Joe first, if we even want to talk to Henry Jacobs about testifying against Hayden".


	26. Chapter 26

Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving. I wanted to thank you all for taking the time to read and review my last chapter. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, been busy with work schedule especially with the holidays. I'm trying my best to wrap this story up. I've decided to do both Aftermath and A brother's revenge.

I'm still not sure about all the court stuff but I'm willing to give it a try. So anyway here's my new chapter. Hope you like it.

(OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

Pressure chapter 26

"Con, I feel the need to apologize to you for the way I acted." Frank said, feeling ashamed. After the blowout he'd had with Joe he'd taken a walk to calm himself down and now he was back to make things right.

"My behavior was inexcusable; I assure you that that will change." The elder Hardy boys held out his hand to Con. "And thank you for stepping in when you did. You've been a good friend to us throughout this case."

"Apology accepted and you're welcome." Con replied, accepting Frank's handshake. "Hey, somebody has to look out for you right? I mean, Lord knows your parents can't do it alone. You guys are a handful." He said with a slight grin.

Frank smiled back at the response. "Now do me a favor and go work things out with your brother." The officer nodded towards the restrooms down the hall.

"I will." Frank answered with a sigh.

(OOOOOOooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

As he approached the bathroom door, he took a deep breath and let it out. "Stay calm and behave in a rational manner". He quietly spoke to himself before opening the door and stepping inside. His heart sank when he found Joe sitting on the bathroom floor with his head buried in his arms. Joe was crying. He hated hearing his brother cry.

Here we go, Frank thought as he shifted into big brother mode, sitting down in front of his brother so he and Joe could talk face to face.

"Joe?"

"Go away, Frank. Please... Just go away... away."

"Joe, we need to talk."

"No. Just go... away."

With a deep sigh, Frank said calmly. "Neither one of us is leaving until we talk." He tried to lighten the conversation with humor, "Think of how embarrassing it would be, if someone were to walk in and find two guys sitting on the bathroom floor."

"I don't care."

Frank ran a hand through Joe's hair. "Come on little brother." He said in a more serious tone. "Talk to me."

"It doesn't matter." Joe stifled a sob. "Because, as usual you were right and I was wrong."

"Actually, little brother, it's the other way around. You were right and I was wrong."

Slowly, Joe raised his head. Frank saw his eyes were reddened and puffy. He sniffed back an angry sob and quickly wiped his eyes. "Don't patronize me with that little brother stuff."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Joe…"

"How am I was right?" Joe interrupted. "You warned me about Henry's abusive behavior. He did exactly what you said he'd do."

Frank looked Joe in the eye without hesitation, "Yes, you were right. I was being unfair to Henry. He might behave the same as Hayden, but, Henry is not Hayden." Joe could see that his brother was being straight with him and speaking from the heart. Frank began to tear up. "I don't hate Henry. I hate what Hayden did to him. I hate Hayden for this whole lousy situation."

"I hate the fact that you got hurt. I was scared you'd get hurt again. And that I couldn't stop it. And I'm sorry for yelling at you… I was wrong for putting my hands on you." His voice was heavy with emotion as Frank spoke. "I promise that I'll never ever do that to you or Callie."

Joe looked at his brother carefully. It was good to see Frank being so open with his feelings. It meant that he trusted him and that he felt comfortable enough to share some of what he felt.

Frank continued wiping away his tears. "You're also right that I need to let you figure things out on your own; it's just hard, I'm always going to want to protect you. It's part of who I am".

"I know you can't help it. Like you said, it's part of who you are. It'll take time for us both to get used to these changes but we can help each other get through it. And just so you know, I fully support you in your decision to go to Princeton." Joe said clearly.

"Truthfully, I was wrong too. I was wrong for hitting you… and for the awful things I said. You're not him, Frank. You're not. You could never be abusive like Hayden."

"I hated every single minute of being in that closet. But what frightened me the most was the idea of him beating you with that belt. I could feel how terrified you were," Joe clutched at his chest as he added, anger in his voice. "There was nothing I could do to stop it. But thank God… Dad… got there in time."

Frank swallowed the lump in his throat as he thought about it. He instinctively touched the bandage on his wrist. "But I would've let _it_ happen, for you."

"I guess neither one of us could be abusive monsters like Hayden. It's just not in us. We both recognized that our negative actions towards the other were wrong. We were both willing to take the pain for the other. I mean, I would've taken the belt for you." Joe touched his bandaged lip, "I'm sorry you got hurt, Frank." His voice cracked and he blinked back his tears as he reached forward to hug Frank.

"I'm sorry you got hurt too." Frank hugged him back blinking back tears of his own.

"I don't know about you but I'm through with being Hayden's victim. I think it's time to take back the control over our lives." He pulled away from Joe, looking at him straight on. He kept his voice strong, "What do you say? Are you with me?"

Joe's answer was a shrug, "I don't know."

That wasn't the answer Frank had expected to hear. "You don't know? What happened to my tough as nails, kid brother?"

"I can't be that person anymore." Joe touched his bandaged lip. "When Henry threw his tray at me, it triggered a memory of Hayden and sent me into panic mode. Because Hayden did the same thing when he threw that book at me. It just reminded me of how much of a coward I am."

He said, tears in his eyes. "I don't know how to be Joe Hardy without saying or doing the wrong thing. Maybe that's the kind of man I'll always be, loud and impulsive?"

Frank sat back for a moment, trying to think of something encouraging to say. "Well yes, the loud and impulsive part is true." Frank said finally. Joe gave him a confused look.

"That just means you're full of passion and determination. I think you're starting to come into your own. Joe, you're gonna make mistakes along the way. I know I am. I've been making a few of them myself. I think part of being a man is learning from your mistakes."

"I see that Joe Hardy sitting in front of me right now. He's an amazing kid brother who drives me crazy at times. But, he's also an amazingly kind and caring person who has a heart of gold."

"A coward he is not." Frank continued on, "He's the kind of person who's willing to stick up for a friend, when everyone else has turned their backs on him, including his older brother."

"Joe Hardy has the balls to tell you the honest truth, no matter the circumstances. If he has to knocks down walls or shout it from the rooftops, in order to make people listen, he'll do it."

Joe was starting to like this bold side of his brother. He repeated his view, "I tried to get people to listen. I tried to believe in Dad's justice." He cleared his throat.

"I tried to fight back and look where it got me." Joe pointed to his bandages on his arms and mouth. "Let's face it. Joe Hardy has lost his will to fight."

Joe's insecurities were starting to make themselves known Frank could see that, lucky for him he knew exactly how to push his brother's buttons.

"Really, so you're just going to sit back and do nothing?" Frank challenged Joe. "This is exactly what Hayden wants, for us to be his victims. In fact, he's probably sitting in jail right now, laughing his ass off. And you know who he's laughing at? Us, Joe. He's laughing at us. He's playing us for fools. The Joe Hardy I know wouldn't stand for it; instead he would want to kick the man's ass."

"What am I supposed to tell Henry?"

Joe just looked at him.

Frank continued to think out loud. "Yeah, we saw the abusive side of him. But, maybe, just maybe, we need to give him the benefit of the doubt and hear his side of the story. It's the right thing to do."

He pulled Henry's drawing of Joe out of his pant pocket. "I still don't know what to make of this guy. Maybe it is just a drawing?" Frank stared at the character's face that resembled his brother. He still found the picture troubling. "But, I'm willing to hear Henry's reason for this without judging him."

Then something else occurred to him. "What if this is what Henry's been waiting for?"

"A superhero?" Joe asked looking at his brother strangely. "So what, I'm supposed to put on a metallic blue suit and mask and jump in with my galactic ray gun and save the day?"

"In a way, yes if that's what it takes." Frank stated simply. "Henry's life is still in danger. He's scared and needs someone he can trust. And that someone is Joe Hardy and his faithful sidekick Frank."

"You?"

"Well, yeah, who else?"

"We're the amazing dynamic detective duo of Bayport, are we not?" Frank said, suppressing a smile. "However, I draw a line at wearing tights, although a cape might be nice."

A grin spread across Joe's face as he shook his head laughing. "You're such nerd for a Princeton man."

"We still need to be cautious and keep our guard up around Henry." Frank said in all seriousness. Joe reluctantly nodded in agreement. "I haven't left for Princeton yet, and as long as I'm here we might as well finish the job. And we never quit a case; we see it through until the end." Frank said, rising to his feet.

"You want to do something therapeutic let's put on our detective capes and investigate both Mrs. Jacobs as well as Nurse Matthews' disappearances. There's something more going on there I can feel it."

"So come on. Henry needs you; I need you." Frank held his hand out to Joe. "Are you with me partner?" Frank was silently praying that what he'd done had worked on helping Joe.

Joe stared at Frank's hand debating his answer. He began mulling over what his brother had said. He instinctively touched his bandaged lip as Hayden rose to mind. Everything that so called teacher had done to him; he'd been arrested and then locked in a rat infested closet because of that man. Then there was what he'd done to Henry and what he'd almost done to Frank.

" _Hayden wants us to be his victims._ _He's playing us for fools._ _He's probably sitting in jail laughing his ass off at us."_ Frank's words echoed in his head.

Then Joe pictured Hayden sitting in his jail cell doubled over in laughter, he could just hear him, _"those stupid Hardy brothers."_ He suddenly felt rage began to boil up inside of him. Laugh at us will you, oh hell no! I'm not going to be a laughing stock.

 _"_ _Henry needs you; I need you."_

"I'm done being a victim; it's time to take back control of our lives." Then he saw it: a spark had ignited in Joe's blue eyes.

"Yes I am partner." Joe took Frank's hand in agreement, "Now let's go kick some ass!"

(OOOOOOooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)

A few minutes later the boys headed back to Henry's room. To their surprise they found their father standing outside the room talking to Con. And he did not look happy.

Fenton looked up as the boys approached, his eyes going from Frank to Joe as he noted their eyes were red and puffy. ""Con was just filling me in on what's been going on," the father began. "He told me all about the argument you two had." Then he changed tactics and asked directly. "Is everything okay?"

Joe exchanged looks with Frank then glanced over at Con. "Sorry." Con apologized.

"It's okay," Joe said. "Yes, Dad everything is fine." He glanced at Frank, letting him answer Fenton.

"What Joe means, is that we're working things out". Frank knew their father would not accept any vague answers.

Joe was dreading finding out just how much their father had been told and just what he was going to do. "So you know about what happened with Henry?"

"Yes." Fenton nodded. He wasn't happy to hear about how Henry had thrown his tray of food at Joe, causing his son to go into a panic attack. But, he admitted to himself, he was angrier with himself for having given Joe permission to see his friend in the first place.

Before Joe could respond Dr. Reese stepped out of the room. "I'm glad you're working things out but remember: my door is open should either of you want to talk," she offered.

"Thank you. And we'll be talking to you soon." Joe answered hoping it would help convince their father that he and Frank were making an effort to work out their issues.

"Yes, once this case is over." Frank said in agreement. Joe then asked a question, concern for his friend foremost in his mind. "But, first how's Henry?"

"He's doing fine now." Dr. Reese replied.

"What happened?"

"Henry said he was having a flashback of his father hitting him. He was in the middle of a panic attack when you entered the room."

"I didn't mean to scare him." Joe said feeling guilty. "I feel really bad about that. Would it be okay for us see Henry?" He asked the doctor before shifting his eyes to Fenton knowing he would have the final say.

"Yes, that is if it's okay with your father." Dr. Reese answered.

"Dad, can I?" Joe's blue eyes pleaded. "I really need to talk to him. And Frank will be in there will me. So he'd still be keeping his word to you." He shot Frank a pleading look.

"Yes, I'll be in there with Joe." Frank said coming to Joe's rescue.

There was a heavy sting of silence in the air. Even though he wasn't happy about Henry getting violent with Joe, Fenton had to focus on the bigger picture and the reason he was here. He didn't know how Joe would handle the news that Henry might have to testify against Hayden in court.

"Actually, before I make a decision," Fenton cleared his throat. He'd already informed Con and Dr. Reese of the news as soon as he arrived, and now he had to explain it to his sons. "There is something I need to talk to you boys about. It's the reason that I'm here."

There was a look on their father's face that told Frank and Joe that something was going on. "Does it have to do with Henry?" Joe asked, though he already knew that particular answer. He could see the concern on Dr. Reese's face and the anger on Con's face told him that they at least, already knew.

"Yes, I'm afraid Henry is very much involved in this."

"Dad? What is it?" Joe didn't like this.

Fenton took a deep breath and began by telling them that the charges against Joe had been dropped. From there, he went on to describe Hayden's mental breakdown, including him threatening suicide while being questioned, and ending his impromptus speech with the possibility of a trial. "In fact, as I was visiting Hayden, he had another 'breakdown".

The boys were furious when Fenton mentioned Hayden claiming to be out of his mind and never meaning to hurt his son. He was also trying to overcome his abusive childhood. And Hayden had claimed to love his son? Frank and Joe both agreed all of Hayden's claims were a load of crap.

"A hearing is set to be held in two weeks. The judge will determine if there's enough evidence for Hayden to go to trial."

"So you believe Hayden is playing the victim?" Frank said slowly as he thought aloud. "What you said about him being a sociopath; the manipulation, the lack of empathy, it does make sense."

"Yes, I believe so." Fenton confirmed. "Daniel Bartend, Hayden's lawyer is pushing for an insanity defense. That would mean Hayden could get a lighter sentence, or even no jail time at all."

"Instead Hayden could end up being sent to a mental health facility for treatment. Not only that, but Bartend is also trying to get the attempted murder charge dropped; he's determined to prove his client is incompetent to stand trial."

"Bartend is also representing Principal Ryan. And so far, it looks like all Ryan will be getting, is a slap on the wrist." Fenton was still fuming over that one. "But right now, our main focus is Hayden."

"Carl Sims will be prosecuting the case. As you boys know, he has to prove that Hayden is competent to stand trial. I'm not concerned about that; he has all the evidence he needs". He paused, mentally preparing himself for the next part of his talk with his boys. "As difficult as it will be he'll need to subpoena the students who reported being abused by Hayden, to testify. You boys would also be called in to testify."

"Oh no, that would mean…" Frank looked at Joe.

Joe felt his father's hand land on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Joe but I think you knew it was coming to this. Henry may have to testify as the star witness; his testimony might be our only chance in getting Hayden convicted."

"No, there has to be something else." Joe argued. "Some other way?"

"I'm sorry son."

"He's not ready. He just had a panic attack for crying out loud!" Joe felt his anxiety start to rise. "Henry won't open up to Dr. Reese about his father. How the hell are we going to get him to talk about him on the witness stand, in front of who knows how many people!?"

"Joe," Frank cut in. "Calm down." He stopped Joe's rant before he had another panic attack.

Finally taking in a deep breath, Joe let out a sigh to calm his nerves. "I'm sorry Dad. I didn't mean to yell. It's just…"

"It's okay, I understand you're upset." Fenton said calmly. He knew Joe would be upset with this and how much he cared about his friend. He wished there was some other way. He hated to see his son in pain. His eyes lingered on Joe's bandaged lip, "You boys have been through a lot yourselves. I didn't want to put either of you through this; I don't have a choice though."

"You know whether or not there is a trial." Joe brought up. "Henry loses. I guess the only thing we can hope for is Hayden's being mentally unstable. Then at least he'd be locked up in the loony bin."

A prison sentence of 25 years. Hayden could get 25 years. For all the pain he'd caused everyone. For every student he'd abused, Frank thought. He agreed with his brother in that Henry was in no way ready to stand witness at a trial, but at the same time Henry could still be used as their main focus to getting Hayden where he belonged, in prison.

"I think Henry could do it." Frank spoke up.

"What?" Joe gasped, dismayed.

"I think Henry could do it." Frank repeated.

"What do you mean?" Fenton inquired.

"Joe, you faced your fear when you were locked in that closet." Frank continued on before Joe had a chance to argue, "Maybe its time for Henry to face his. He's been Hayden's victim for too long. It's time for him to take back control over his life."

"If there's going to be a trial, then we need to get him ready for it."

"Yeah, but how?" Joe asked. He didn't know where his brother was going with this and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

With a flourish Frank handed Henry's drawing to his brother. "All he needs is Justice."

Fenton got his first glimpse of the drawing. He studied the character's face closely and thought how strange it was that it resembled his younger son. "What the heck is that? Is that supposed to be Joe?"

"Henry drew it. It's his hero." Joe looked at the drawing. Frank was right. It wasn't going to end like this. Somehow, some way Henry was going to get justice.

Then a crazy idea that he knew his brother and most definitely his father would disagree with, popped into his head. But then again Frank did say he was willing to give Henry the benefit of the doubt and hear his side without judgment. It meant Frank was trying and that meant a lot to Joe. So maybe…he could take a chance with his idea hoping his father would agree with it.

He took a deep breath and decided to go for it anyway. "Dad, I know I'm not supposed to be alone with him. I need you to trust me on this." Joe saw Fenton clench his jaw, a sure sign of his disapproval.

"It's just that I think having too many people in the room would be overwhelming for Henry. One on one might be easier for him. I might be able to get Henry to open up, to face his fear, if I'm the only one there. Maybe I can get him to open up to Dr. Reese."

"Joe, I don't know." Fenton huffed at Joe's idea.

"Please, Dad, at least let me try. It's not like you'll be far away. You, Con and Dr. Reese would be right outside that door if I need you."

"Actually, it might be worth a try." Surprisingly, Frank spoke up in Joe's defense. "Joe's already connected with Henry, aside from the tray incident. I think he sees Joe as his hero."

Joe blushed at his brother's praise.

"If we want Henry to testify against Hayden, then we need to let Joe try." As hard as this was for Frank, this was Joe's decision and he was going to let go and trust Joe.

"However, I wouldn't mention anything about a trial just yet." He advised his brother. "We have to ease Henry into it. Maybe you could start off talking about the drawing."

"I can do that." Joe nodded.

"I'm not quite sure I understand the drawing," Fenton said, something about it just didn't sit well with him, but that was for another conversation with his sons, for which the time wasn't right now. "I do however agree with Frank that we need to prepare Henry for a trial."

"Does this mean I can have one on one time with Henry?" Joe asked hopefully.

"Yes, as long as Frank is in there with you."

"Yes, of course, Dad, thank you." Joe said graciously. He smiled at Frank, "I don't know what I'd do without my faithful sidekick."


	27. Chapter 27

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm sorry its been awhile since by last update. Still have a few more things to wrap up. _Cherylann Rivers, FanHB08, Robin's Egg, Tinee Dancer Whiskey Lullaby 1864, Guest and those of you who have been reading and following_ this story. And thank you for _elven buddy_ for beta reading my story. You guys are awesome :)

This is probably my favorite chapter and the longest of this story. If you love superheroes like I do then I hope you'll like it too. I don't own Spider-Man I just borrowed him for this story because I think characters like him are relatable for kids, not so some much the superhero but the kid for the (Peter Parkers) when it comes to being bullied or being different. And a special thanks to my brother who is a Spider-Man fan for the inspiration.

Let me know what you think of the story so far?

Pressure chapter 27

(oooooooooooooooooooooo)

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes Frank, I do".

"Do you still have Henry's drawing?"

"Yup, I got it right here." Joe said, holding the drawing up to show Frank.

"Alright, let's go see Henry." Frank sighed. He was trying to be supportive about his brother's idea, even if he didn't like it.

Fenton had, reluctantly, agreed to wait with Con and Dr. Reese in the waiting room down the hall, in an effort to give his boys a little privacy to talk to Henry. They'd promised to come and find him if anything happened with their friend.

(oooooooooooooooooooooo)

Joe didn't want to startle Henry again so he lightly knocked on the door. "Hi, Henry can we come in?" Joe asked softly as he opened the door. Looking up Henry saw Joe standing in the doorway. From his vantage point behind his brother, Frank could see Henry's face light up with happiness.

"Hi, yes, please come in." Wincing, Henry slowly sat up, hugging his arm to his side, as his ribs were still a little sore. He straightened his Spiderman t-shirt as he made sure his legs were covered by his blankets.

"Hello Henry, how are you?" Frank asked gently closing the door behind him as he followed his brother into the room.

Henry's smile faded. "I'm fine." He said dryly.

Looking at the young teenager, Frank could see that he was glaring at him before he managed to mask his feelings. Had he been glaring at Frank? At that moment, he knew that it was likely Henry didn't want him there. Glancing at Joe, he could see that his brother hadn't noticed anything. Frank shook his head. Joe was starting to let his guard down, just as Frank had predicted he would. Joe was in friend mode, he was definitely not thinking like a detective at the moment.

Frank wasn't sure what was going on, he was getting the same kind of feeling as he'd had about Joe's drawing. Was it just a drawing? Was he making the issue bigger than it actually was? Frank began to analyze his thoughts. Okay so Joe was Henry's hero, there was nothing wrong with that. Henry's defenses were still up, Frank assumed, that had to be it. Henry still didn't know him well enough to trust him; Frank hadn't taken the time to get to know him as Joe had.

Frank was being paranoid. He just didn't want Princeton or Henry to be an issue for them, as Frank knew that would put a strain on his relationship with Joe. Their relationship was something they both treasured more than anything else. To lose that bond would be catastrophic.

Regardless, he just couldn't turn off his instincts that were telling him that something just wasn't right with Henry. For one thing, he didn't like the obsession that Henry seemed to have about Joe. Wait! Obsession? He repeated the word several times. No, he had to stop jumping to conclusions, even if there was still something about Henry that Frank didn't trust. After all, to his mind, Henry warranted watching; he had gotten violent with his brother on a few occasions after all.

Stop it! He berated himself again. Quit thinking of Henry as a suspect.

It wasn't an obsession; Joe and Henry were friends, that's all it was. Then again, was it possible that it was a case of hero worship? Henry seemed to worship Joe like he would a hero.

Frank wondered if he was envious of Joe and Henry's friendship. The role that Joe had so easily taken on for Henry, that big brother status, that used to be his. After all hero-worship was a word he had heard people use to describe how Joe felt about him.

Maybe he was a bit jealous or feeling left out.

He had promised Joe that he'd keep an open mind and give Henry the benefit of the doubt. He would keep his promise and hear Henry's side of it, without judgment. Henry was, after all, their ticket to getting Hayden behind bars.

(ooooooooooooooooooooooo)

As promised, he hung back to let Joe talk to Henry, but there was no way he was leaving the room. He leaned back against the wall, resting where he could easily keep an eye on the two friends. He still had to come up with a plan in order to keep an eye for Joe while he was away at Princeton.

"How are you?" Joe inquired quietly walking up to Henry's bedside.

Henry took his gaze off of the older Hardy brother and turned his attention back to Joe. He answered with a slight lisp, "Good, I guess. Sorry." He brought a hand up to cover his mouth. "I hate the way I talk. I lost my two front teeth thanks to J-Jack. Now I talk funny. Dr. Reese said I could go to a dental clinic and get partial dentures that would give me a natural look. "

"It's okay and I think it's a good idea about the partial dentures. And you don't have to apologize for Jack."

Looking at Henry, Joe could see that he was still a bit pale but, thankfully, the swelling had receded some. Joe continued studying Henry; his left eye was still covered with a bandage and dark circles were visible, probably due to a lack of sleep, Joe figured as his eyes came to rest on the I.V. still in Henry's arm.

Joe's mind flashed back to the moment when he and Frank had found Henry, unconscious, on the kitchen floor. Seeing Henry bruised and bloody and knowing that Hayden had been the cause, even now still made Joe's blood boil.

Hayden wouldn't get away with everything he'd done, Joe vowed. There would be justice; justice for everyone he'd hurt, but especially for Henry. It would take effort, Joe knew, but he knew that he, along with everyone else was willing to fight for it. Hopefully Henry would consent to joining them in the fight.

"Henry, I'm sorry I scared you earlier." He said regretfully.

"It's not your fault. It's mine." Henry looked down and began picking at his blanket. 'I didn't mean t-to throw my tray at you. I was having a panic attack… It happens… every time I …think about J-Jack." Henry started breathing heavily.

"I know. Dr. Reese explained the whole thing to us." Joe placed a hand on Henry's shoulder. He made an effort to calm his voice, just like he knew Frank did when he was trying to calm him down. "Henry, listen to me. You are safe here. Please take your time. No one here is going to hurt you." He didn't want him to have another attack. "Neither Frank or I would let anything bad happen".

After a few minutes, Henry's breathing was back to normal. "I'm okay." He straightened out his light blue Spiderman t-shirt. Looking up at Joe once more, Henry had to double take as he noticed the bandages on Joe's bottom lip and arms.

"J-Jack did that to you, didn't he?"

"Um, yeah, we had a bit of a run in with him." Joe told him. He touched his lip, as he glanced down at his arms, wishing he'd worn long sleeves to hide the bandages on his arms. "It's not as bad as it looks." He glanced at Frank before shifting his gaze back to Henry.

"That's the same thing Dr. Bryce told me." Henry replied. "He said you'd been brought in with minor injuries but that you'd be fine."

"He's right." Joe concurred. "I am fine. The stitches will be gone in a few days. I have to eat soft foods for a little while. It sucks, but I can deal with it."

"I know the doctor was downplaying everything that'd happened to you". Henry shook his head. "But, I know Jack and nothing he does is minor. If he said he was going to kill you, he meant it."

"Well, Jack didn't or else I wouldn't be standing here. And, he is not going to kill me. The important thing is that he's in jail. He can't hurt anyone anymore." Joe informed his friend. "That includes you."

"That's what you think?" Henry's face darkened. "Jail won't stop Jack. He's not stupid. He will be out soon. You'll see and when he is then… he'll make us sorry." his voice trailed off.

Joe blinked rapidly at his friend's response. There was genuine fear and anger in his voice. Henry wasn't stupid, he probably knew and understood his father a lot more than they thought.

"Jack was in my house wasn't he?" Henry piped in.

"Yes, he was." Joe admitted.

"What did he do to you?"

Joe exchanged looks with Frank unsure of how to answer him. "He uh...he..." He hadn't intended to tell him of the ordeal they'd gone through with Hayden so soon.

Henry cut in, tears in his eyes. "Tell me please? I need to know." He began bunching his blanket up in his hands.

"Um, hum, he..." Joe huffed wearily. He quickly explained to Henry what Hayden had put them through. Joe ended the tale with, "Your father was going to beat Frank with a belt." A shiver ran down his back, just thinking about it. "But the police stopped him before he did".

Frank felt a shiver go down his spine too, thinking about the incident; he didn't know if he'd ever get over it. He'd been standing by, listening in on Joe and Henry's conversation and came to the same conclusion as his brother had; theirs and Henry's experiences were very similar. One big change, as far as Joe had been concerned, was the rat-infested closet. Frank had also taken note of what Henry had said about Hayden, _"not being in jail for long"_ and _"that he wasn't stupid"._ Unknowingly, Henry had just confirmed Fenton's suspicions about Hayden being a sociopath and playing the victim.

In other words, Hayden knew what he was doing. His breakdown insanity routine had been nothing more than an act. This was exactly why they needed Henry to be able to get on the witness stand; so his testimony could blow the whole insanity defense out of the water.

"I hate him! I hate him so much…." Henry cried angry tears after Joe had finished. "I-I'm so sorry he did that to you." Henry clutched at his chest, gasping. "I can't breathe… I can't breathe!"

"I shouldn't have said anything." Joe said, silently kicking himself for triggering Henry into a panic attack. He placed a gentle hand on his friend's trembling shoulder, praying he wouldn't make it worse.

"Henry, please take slow and steady breaths. Please calm down. I'm sorry."

"I can't breathe… I can't breathe!" Henry said breathlessly.

Joe tried every possible way to get Henry to calm down, but he didn't know what to do. They were going to have to get Dr. Reese. Then Joe shot Frank a pleading look, and mouthed the word, "Help."

Thinking quickly, Frank answered, "The drawing! Joe, ask him about the drawing."

"Oh, yeah," Joe replied, grateful for his brother's quick thinking. He looked at the drawing in his left hand, then he showed it to Henry. "Henry, Dr. Reese said you drew this picture."

Henry looked at the drawing in Joe's hand. "Yeah, so, it's just a drawing. It's not a big deal." He lisped and shrugged it off.

Frank watched as Henry started to calm down. "Keep talking to him, Joe," Frank said, encouraging him to continue.

Joe nodded okay. He said calmly, "This is really good. Wish I could draw like that. Stick people are more my area of expertise," he smiled.

Henry perked right up. "You really think it's good?" Then he sadly lisped. "Jack says that I have no talent and that my drawings are a piece of shit."

"Well, he's wrong." Joe stated. It made him angry to think about how much Hayden had poisoned Henry's mind with his mental and verbal abuse.

"Henry, you have a God given talent. It's a very special talent. It's a gift. Just like dyslexia is a gift." Joe said enthusiastically hoping to encourage Henry to see things in a more positive perspective, "You could use words in the same way."

"Use words to tell a story about this character. You know words that will stand out and make him come alive. I'd love to see this guy in a comic and read about his abilities. Does your character have any friends? Where does he live? How does he take on his nemesis...err…the bad guys? You know, that kind of stuff." Joe noticed that Henry was looking critically at his drawing; he could see the wheels turning in his mind as he took in his every word. He hoped that it was a good sign and that he was getting through to him. He wanted to help his friend find the courage that he needed to at least open up to Dr. Reese about the abuse and his father. And that he'd want to face his fear and would then agree to testify against his father. If Henry could help put Hayden behind bars, it'd be a good thing for everyone.

Frank couldn't help but be impressed with his little brother the way he stayed calm and in control with Henry. Frank could see that Joe's calm demeanor was helping to put Henry's anxiety at ease. "Hm," he smiled to himself. "Wonder who he learned that from?"

Joe continued calmly. "Henry look at the details you have here." Henry's eyes followed Joe's finger as he pointed to the details of the sketch, "I have to say, I like the blonde hair and muscular frame that you gave him and his knee high boots."

"The way he's standing in that fierce pose it tells a story right there. It's telling me that he's ready to go kick some ass. It's very cool." He added as he began to get excited, he was also a fan of comic books and superheroes. "The mask he's wearing makes him look very...I don't know... mysterious?"

"Does your character have a name?"

Henry was now calm and breathing normally again. He grinned, "No."

"Well, how about Mysterious or Justice that's a good name?" Joe suggested. "That's what my brother called him." He looked over his shoulder. "What do you think, Frank?"

Frank answered coming up to join them. "Whatever, he names his character is fine by me." As long as he doesn't name it Joe, he added to himself. He shrugged, "Sorry guys, I don't know much about comic books or superheroes. I mean, I know who Batman, Superman and Spider Man are, but that's pretty much the limit of my knowledge."

"You'll have to forgive Frank. He's more of a computer nerd." Joe teased as he put his arm around his brother's shoulders. "If you have questions about Microsoft software and analyzing data mumbo jumbo, well, he's your guy. I certainly wouldn't know where to begin with that stuff."

"He tried explaining it to me once," Joe brought a hand up to his forehead. "It gives me a headache just thinking about it".

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a "computer nerd" as you put it," With a small laugh Frank answered, "I just happen to find that "mumbo jumbo" interesting."

"Yeah, yeah, can you say boring?" Joe covered his mouth, pretending to yawn. He smiled at Henry and nodded in Frank's direction. "He knows I'm kidding."

Henry began laughing at the brothers' banter, having to stop to hug his arm to his side, to protect his still painful ribs.

"However, that doesn't mean I'm not interested in learning about these comic book characters. And you know that old saying knowledge is power." Frank quickly pointed out. Frank was used to Joe's making fun of his 'Brainiac' personality. He didn't mind it really, in fact he saw it more as a compliment than an insult.

He could see that Henry was starting to relax a little which was the whole point of what Joe was trying to do. Frank suddenly realized what was off about Henry. The minute Frank had walked into the room, Henry must have sensed his angry vibes, and it fed into Henry's anxiety making him uncomfortable.

He had been going about this the wrong way, Frank realized. Instead of standing on the sidelines, he needed to interact with Henry. He needed to act the same way with Henry as he did with Joe. They needed to be comfortable with each other. After all, he reminded himself, Henry was not Hayden. It was a good way to earn Henry's trust and help him open up about the abuse and Hayden. In addition, if Henry was going to be a part of his little brother's life, Frank needed to get to know Henry better and vice versa.

"Little brother, you're the one who's always telling me to try new things." Frank prompted. "I do think it's a good idea to learn about the things my friends are interested in. It's something important to them so why not learn more about it? It's something you should think about, Joe."

"Take Spider-Man for instance; you, Chet and Henry are all fans so maybe Henry could enlighten me on the subject." Frank turned to Henry, "Tell me, what is about Spider-Man that you like?"

"Really?" Henry replied, puzzled. "Y-you still think of me as a friend? Even after all the trouble… with Jack and for what I did to your other friends… to Joe, I-I was mean to them".

He grimly remarked, "I'm no good… damaged… Like Jack says… I'm stupid."

Frank ran a hand through his hair as he thought about how to answer. He looked Henry straight in the eyes. "Henry, I am angry, but not at you. Your father is the one I am angry with, he has hurt many people, including you, Joe, and myself. He needs to pay for his crimes."

"I know you didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"Here's some advice from an elder sibling to a younger one." He paused to switch gears. "I want you to forget about what your father's said in the past and instead listen to what I'm saying; you are not a bad person. We all make mistakes. You aren't damaged... and I repeat, _you are not stupid._ Your father did some horrible things to you; he abused you."

Henry blanched at the mention of Hayden and he started breathing heavily.

'Frank..." Joe started to stop Frank from saying anything else but Frank cut him off. "Henry, you need help. I understand you're afraid of Jack, but the only way to be free of him and his abuse, is to talk about it. Let Dr. Reese help you; open up to her about what Jack did to you. She has been very helpful to Joe and me. If you don't want to talk to Dr. Reese, you can always talk to us."

"I-I don't know if I c-can do that." Henry started to cry.

"Do you remember what I said about being a Hardy boy's friend for life?"

Henry slowly nodded as he brushed a tear off his face, taking a deep breath in the process.

"Well, I meant every word of it. You're Joe's friend. And I'd like the two of us to be friends." Frank looked at Joe and said, "It would mean a lot to Joe if we did."

"I made a promise to my brother and I promise the same to you to be open and give you the benefit of the doubt. I will hear your side without judgment. I always keep my word. I really want to help you. _We_ want to help you." Frank asked, "Henry, will you give me the chance to get to know you?"

Joe's mouth dropped open. He was astounded by his brother's vulnerability and openness; it was a side of Frank he'd never seen before. There was something different about his big brother. There was a sense of maturity in the way he spoke to Henry. Then Joe smiled, he knew he was getting a glimpse of the kind of man Frank was destined to become.

Henry just stared at the elder Hardy brother; he didn't know what to say. After a minute or two, he regained his voice. "Yes, I'd like that. I'd like us to be friends." He said with a lisp.

"Good." Frank smiled. He turned around and grabbed a chair, pulling it over to Henry's bedside before sitting down. "Now tell me about Spider-Man?"

"Are you serious?" Joe asked in disbelief. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Who the hell are you and where is my brother Frank Hardy?" My big brother was a computer and chess kind of guy. The go to guy with all the facts and logic that has to have everything organized and planned out to the letter. The Princeton man wanted to know about Spider-Man. Maybe Frank wasn't as grown up as he thought, maybe there was still a kid left in him after all.

"Yes, Joe, I'm serious." Frank replied. "I'm very interested in what Henry has to say. Now grab a chair and sit down," he smiled.

This was great! Joe thought. If Henry Jacobs gets my brother hooked on comic books, he is a freaking genius! Joe shook his head and chuckled. He couldn't wait to see Callie's reaction when she found out.

(ooooooooooooooooooooooo)

Henry couldn't believe it. Someone was actually interested in what he had to say. He hadn't thought anyone cared enough to want to get to know him. He didn't think anyone really cared enough to want to get to know him. He never took them seriously really. He would always be teased and ridiculed by people who he'd thought were his friends. All he knew were their fists leaving him black and blue in addition to what he'd have to face with Jack when he got home.

The Hardy brothers were not like that. They actually cared about him. They really wanted to help him. He felt he really could trust Frank and Joe. They really wanted to be friends with him.

"You really want to know why I like Spider-Man?" Henry asked.

Frank nodded.

"I believe that characters like Spider-Man were not only created for us to enjoy, but to also give kids knowledge enough to know the difference between right and wrong. To me he's more than just an iconic character..." Henry began as Joe pulled up a chair next to Frank and sat down.

"Sorry Henry, please continue." Joe encouraged as he and Frank gave Henry their full attention.

Henry huffed out a breath before continuing, "He's this nerdy kid, an outcast, someone who gets beat up a lot."

"The kid gets bitten by a radioactive spider and that's how he becomes Spider-Man. He's got this great power and uses it to take on any adversity. He can crawl up walls, fling webs and do so much more." He paused to swallow a lump in his throat. "He's got this 'Spidey sense' that lets him know when danger's around. That's the best part about Spider-Man and is probably my favorite part about him."

"I know it's not like real life." A tear ran down Henry's bruised face. He looked up at Frank and Joe, choking up as he continued, "But if I had that power...I would sense when J-Jack's angry...I'd catch that look in his eyes and...and know when the next beatings were coming."

Henry wiped the tears off his face. "I want to create a character like Spider-Man so kids won't end up like me."

Blinking back tears, Joe let out a breath. He had no words. How did you respond to something like that? He glanced at Frank and saw, to his surprise, that his brother had tears running down his face.

Just then, a knock at the door got their attention. Grateful for the interruption, the brothers quickly composed themselves before turning around to see Chet and Biff standing in the doorway.


	28. Chapter 28

Hi, I wanted to thank everyone for your amazing reviews. Thank you to those who are reading and following this story. This has been amazing story to write, but sadly this story is coming to an end I will be working on the last chapter. Then I'll be working on the part, which will be Aftermath. Here is my new chapter hope you like it. please leave me a review so I know how I'm doing. Thank you :)

Pressure Chapter 28

"Chet, I think we've come at a bad time." Biff said, realizing they'd just interrupted an intense emotional conversation.

"I think so too." Chet asked concerned noting their tear stricken faces. "Frank, is everything okay? We can come back later if you want."

Clearing his throat, Frank finally acknowledged the arrival of his friends. "Uh, yeah everything is fine. Please don't leave. Just wait for us out in the hallway." He was curious as to why they were here.

"No problem." Biff agreed and followed Chet back out into the hall.

Frank turned his attention back to Henry. He smiled, "Thank you Henry for sharing that with us. Spider-man sounds like an awesome superhero. I look forward to hearing more about him."

"Will you excuse us a second?" He glanced over at his brother. "Joe, we need to talk". With that, he stood up and headed for the doorway.

"We'll be right back." Joe said reassuring his friend. He stood up and placed a hand on Henry's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before following his brother out the door.

"Okay." Henry nodded. He wiped the tears off his face and watched Joe leave the room. As soon as the door closed, a smile spread across his face, he placed a hand on his shoulder where Joe had touched him.

He looked down at his superhero drawing in his other hand; he ran a finger over the character's blonde hair. "I knew you'd come for me."

(OOOOOOOOOO)

Joe closed the door behind him. He sighed quietly, blinking back tears. "That was..." his voice trailed off. He was starting to feel the pressure of dealing with his own anxiety on top of dealing with Hayden's abuse, Henry and the upcoming trial and Frank's leaving in less than a month. It was all too much.

"Unexpected." Frank finished his brother's sentence. Joe nodded. Frank put a comforting arm around his brother as he'd seen how upset he'd been after hearing Henry's explanation of his favorite superhero. He wanted to get Joe away from it all. He needed a break, hell they both did.

Frank now felt torn in regards to the whole thing. He really did want to help Henry in any way he could. He'd meant every word when he'd said he wanted to be friends with Henry; after all, Henry was their only hope for getting Hayden behind bars for good.

At the same time, Henry's behavior was always at the back of his mind. He still had an uneasy feeling that for some reason he just couldn't shake. At first, he'd thought it was his angry vibes that were feeding into Henry's anxiety and maybe it was.

Why did he have this feeling? The fact that he didn't have an answer was driving him crazy.

Their father had always told them that as detectives, they should never ignore their gut instincts.

Joe was good at that. His gut feeling told him that Henry was in trouble. That feeling had been so intense that he'd literally broken out of jail, just to find his friend. Joe's gut instincts were usually right on and this had been another example of how good his instincts were.

Unfortunately for Frank, gut instinct wasn't enough; he had to have solid proof. However right now, all he had was gut instinct; something was just not right about Henry. He was not about to ignore that instinct.

The best course of action for him to take would be to let things play out as they were. He would continue to get to know Henry and earn his trust, in order to get the proof he needed. He had to know if Henry was safe to be around for his brother's sake and for his own peace of mind.

It was all a part of his plan. The only problem was he was leaving.

The elder Hardy brother looked at his two friends standing in front of him. He smiled inwardly; Biff and Chet could not have come at a better time. Somehow, they were going to be part of his plan in order to keep an eye on things, particularly Joe and Henry while he was away at Princeton.

(OOOOOOOOOO)

"Joe, Hayden did that to you!" Chet gasped, gaping at the bandages on Joe's lip and arms. "We ran into your Dad in the waiting room. He said that jerk roughed you up pretty good. But, he didn't go into details."

"Yeah, you could say that." Joe said grimly. Then he and Frank took turns filling them in on their ordeal with the abusive teacher.

"I'd like nothing more than to beat the crap out of that bastard!" Biff exploded, punching a fist into the palm of his opposite hand. "Hell I wouldn't need a belt; my fists would do just fine." He was pissed at what that poor excuse of a teacher had done to his friends.

"You'll have to step in line, buddy." Joe said directly. "Right now he's in jail. Our problem has more to do with us keeping him there."

"What do you mean by that?"

There was a long pause before anyone spoke. The brothers exchanged another worried look.

"There's a hearing in two weeks where a judge will determine if there's enough evidence for Hayden to go to trial." Frank began to explain as he tried to rein in his anger at the same time. "At the hearing the goal will be to prove whether or not he's fit to stand trial."

"Hayden's lawyer is determined to prove his client is incompetent to stand trial. He's going for an insanity defense that could get Hayden a lighter sentence, or even no jail time at all." He growled as he continued, "Or staying in a damn mental health facility for treatment."

According to Dad, Hayden has already had a couple of mental breakdowns. We have reason to believe that Hayden is a sociopath and is playing the victim. If Hayden gets off, there is a possibility he'll be out for revenge."

"And, that's not all we're dealing with." Frank quickly filled in his friends in regards to both nurse Matthews as well as Henry's mother disappearing. "Their whereabouts are still unknown at this point. Dad believes they'll resurface again, however, because of Mrs. Hayden's wanting her son back."

The authorities are all on high alert and are looking for them. Every station in the state has both their pictures and detailed descriptions of them both. Right now our focus is Hayden and the trial."

Steering back to the original topic of conversation, he added, "A lawyer friend of ours, Carl Sims has been retained as crown prosecutor. He's got all the evidence he needs to make his case. Joe and I will be called in to testify, along with all the other kids Hayden abused."

"That would also include Henry." Joe brought up feeling disgusted by the whole thing. "He has panic attacks just thinking about Hayden. He won't open up to his therapist about his father and the abuse."

"The thing is he doesn't even know about this yet." Joe bit his lip worriedly. "We were in the process of telling him."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "Frank, I know you said we need to ease Henry into the whole process, but I think we should just tell him about the trial straight out."

Frank answered, after giving Joe's words some thought. "And I agree we need to be upfront and tell him about the trial; he needs to know what's going on."

"Really?"

"Yes I do." Frank nodded. He went on to explain, "I believe Henry can handle it."

"You heard how angry he was, and how much he hates his father. I can't really say that I blame him. But perhaps that's the incentive Henry needs to agree to testify."

"Good." Joe sighed in relief, "Glad you agree. Now, what are you guys doing here?" He asked getting back to the reason for Biff and Chet's visit.

"Chet wanted to see how Henry was doing. I came to apologize to the kid," Biff said shamefully. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I never meant to freak him out like that."

"Biff, it wasn't your fault," Joe replied. He could see the guilt in his friend's eyes. He felt bad for him.

"Joe's right." Frank chimed in. "Don't take it to heart; it's not you. Dr. Bryce warned us that Henry might be a little resistant towards male figures. Especially guys of your muscular stature because of the similarities to Hayden."

"I know. Everyone keeps telling me that though it doesn't make me feel any better." It's understandable really."

"What is?"

"Well, I've always been the big guy all my life because of my size. I saw Henry's reaction to me, the other day at Prito's. I get that reaction all the time so I understand how a guy like me can be intimidating to someone like Henry."

"Biff..." Joe started to say something but Biff kept talking. "Can you see a dude like me playing the role of Romeo in the school play? No, of course not, why would you? Not that I'd want to," he added quickly.

He spread his arms out in emphasis. "I'm Biff Hooper, the big, dumb jock. The only thing I'm good at is winning football games."

"Hell, why do you think Coach Adams likes me?"

"Biff, you're not a dumb jock." Joe countered. "You can be a big goof at times. You're a fun dude to joke around with. I can't picture you in a sleeveless, knee-length tunic. Not that I actually want to." With a shudder, he teased, trying to make light of the situation. "But hey, if you want to try out for the role of Romeo, I say go for it."

He'd never heard his friend talk like this before. Biff, was his loyal and trusted, best friend next to Frank of course. They were both equally funny, loud and impulsive, always getting into trouble and doing their best to add more gray hairs on their parents' heads. To hear Biff talk about his insecurities made him think. Frank was right, everyone had something they didn't like about themselves. Even good old, fun and easygoing Chet Morton probably had something he was insecure about.

"Biff, it's a stereotype," Frank replied sympathetically. "And it's unfair to put people in categorizes because they fit a certain mold. I guess it helps them to make accurate judgments more quickly and efficiently, stereotypes can become outdated and lead to inaccurate assessments."

"I know. I get what you're saying," Biff said modestly. "I may not be a straight A student like you, but I do alright. I make B's and C's and a few D's here and there. No way am I dumb. It just means I need to work harder. And I do."

"I just happen to be a big guy who loves to have fun, joke around, and play football."

"You know, just for kicks, maybe I will try out for Romeo." He put an arm around Joe and said with a mischievous smile. "Can you just see Mrs. Dewitt's face?"

A smile spread across Joe's lips. He laughed, picturing the drama teacher's dumbstruck face when Biff stepped out onto the stage to audition for the lead role of _Romeo in Romeo and Juliet._

Frank just stared at him as he shook his head. Only Biff would do something that crazy. He was grateful for Biff's comic relief; just hearing the sound of Joe laughing at his antics gave Frank a glimpse of hope that things were going to be okay.

"Anyway," Chet cut in with a small laugh. "I wanted to give this to Henry." He held up a Spider-Man comic book. "I also have something important to tell him. But maybe now is not a good time." His voice deflated.

"Actually, Chet, it's a very good idea. Spider-Man has been a big help already. And it's all thanks to you." Frank smiled.

Chet looked at him curiously.

"We heard how you calmed Henry down with your comic book."

"I didn't do much." Chet blushed. "All I did was read to him. Then we got to discussing who Spider-Man's greatest villains are. I still say Carnage is the best. He says the Green Goblin."

"I have to agree with Henry on this one." Biff remarked. "The Green Goblin is hands down, the greatest villain of all time."

"Actually, they both are." Joe added his two cents. "I mean Carnage does have that half man, half alien thing going for him. The Green Goblin however, has that maneuverable rocket glider that he rides around on as he's throwing, razor-edged jack-'o'-lanterns boomerangs."

"I'd give anything to have a rocket glider. That'd be so cool."

"Oh, sure like that's all you need." Frank rolled his eyes at his brother's comment. "Chet, please continue." He said before the debate went any further.

"As I was saying," Chet picked up where he'd left off. "We moved on and started talking about superpowers. Next thing I know, Henry suddenly started crying, saying how he wished he had Spidey sense."

"Henry told me it was because of his father and how he'd treated him," he said sadly. "I felt bad for him. As we were talking, I couldn't help but look at the bruises on his face. It makes me angry to think how a parent could hurt their kid like that."

"After I left the hospital, I went home. I was angry and wishing I could've done more for him." At that point, Chet went quiet, although Frank could tell he had something else on his mind.

Finally, he spoke up, wincing as his voice cracked. "You guys all know my family went through a hard time after the death of my sister."

They all nodded, all knowing what he meant. Joe instinctively stepped closer to his brother, putting a hand on his arm. Frank automatically started rubbing Joe's back, letting him know he was there. That time had been hard for everyone, but especially for Joe.

"I'm not sure how to explain it, but something hit me while I was sitting with Henry. Something I hadn't felt in a long time. Not since...you know...Iola" Chet managed. "I know if she was in there, hurt like Henry is, I'd want to protect her. That's the same way I feel with Henry; all I want to do is protect him."

Frank knew exactly what Chet was talking about; it was a feeling only another elder sibling would understand. It was a want, a need to protect the younger sibling.

"I told my parents about Henry and his situation." Chet started up again, doing his best to keep his voice strong and steady. "My mom was in tears and dad was just as angry as I was. They both agreed with me and wanted to do something for Henry."

He got quiet again and then said, "We've never told anyone this, except for your dad, because we didn't want to get our hopes up. You see, my parents have always wanted to foster a child. They talked to me and Iola, both about it."

Chet shook his head. "I wasn't sure about the idea at first, but Iola was thrilled with the idea of being a big sister."

"Then when she died a year ago… we ah… kind of put it off." He stumbled over his words before smiling as he finished speaking. "Then yesterday your dad called my folks and asked if he could come over. He had something that he needed to discuss with us." He saw the stunned faces of his friends.

Frank and Joe looked at him puzzled, "Dad wanted to discuss what with you?' Frank asked. They couldn't believe their ears. Fenton Hardy was full of mystery.

Chet nodded. "He wanted to know if my parents were still interested in fostering a child."

He glanced at Joe as he said, "He said he made a promise to you that he would find a good, safe, and loving home for Henry. He thought of us. He heard about how the two of us got along, because of the comic book thing. He explained Henry's behavior to us and said we had every right to refuse because of the way he was mistreating everyone."

"After your dad left we talked it over. Before making a decision, my parents asked me how I felt about it. They assured me that they'd always make time for me and that we were in no way replacing Iola. We were just adding another member to our family."

"I told them I was okay with Henry coming to live with us." Chet said wholeheartedly. "I like the idea of being a big brother again. It makes me feel good. Besides, we have plenty of room."

"My parents have agreed to be Henry's foster parents. We understand that Henry has issues and we know it won't be easy. But my mom is prepared to surround Henry with as much love as he needs."

"Your dad helped us cut through all the red tape. He even has it set up so that Dr. Reese can come out to the farm and continue her therapy sessions with Henry. Once she gives the okay he can come and stay with us."

"You should see Mom, she's so excited about this, it's good to see her like that. It's as if she's got a whole new reason to be happy." He smiled thinking of her. "She's been busy getting his room ready. Your dad said I should be the one to deliver the news to you and Henry."

The brothers exchanged looks. "In fact we're having a big gathering to welcome Henry home. The whole gang is invited. We have enough food to feed an army."

"Phil and Tony agreed to come to the party even after what happened?" Frank questioned, "Even Callie?"

"Yeah, they said they're willing to give Henry a second chance."

Again, Frank was amazed at his friends and their loyalty. That they would give Henry a second chance after how he'd acted with them, said a lot. And Callie... well he couldn't love her anymore than he did right now. He couldn't wait to see his beautiful girlfriend and tell her just how much he loved her.

"Yes, party time at the Morton's!" Biff cheered with his arms raised up. "Henry is a lucky dude."

Frank was still processing all of this. Henry would be staying with Chet and his parents. He had mixed feelings about this. Not that he was questioning his father about what he'd done; he knew his father well enough to know that he had a good reason for placing Henry with the Morton family.

However this was the Morton's they were talking about here. They were like a second family to him. They were good people. They held a special place in his heart because of Iola and her relationship with Joe.

Chet and his parents lived on a four acre farm about a mile outside town, in a beautiful 19th century farmhouse that had been in their family for generations. The property also housed a big red barn that the family often used to host parties. The Hardys and their friends had spent some amazing childhood summers there playing on the tire swing that hung on the branch of a huge oak tree.

The family had two dogs; a German Shepherd named Duke and a Border Collie they'd named Ginger as well a horse named Millie.

Chet's mother, Donna was a very sweet and caring woman. Just like her son, she had a very big heart. She'd already raised two amazing kids already and she gladly welcome all of Chet's friends into her home. Every time you visited, your bellies were always filled with good food and your heart filled with warm conversations.

Frank had no doubt that Mrs. Morton would take Henry under her wing and love him just the way he needed.

However, Chet's father might be a challenge for Henry. Charles Morton was a stout man just like Chet. He was a good man who worked hard day and night on the farm to provide for his family. He was fun and easygoing, just like his son. He was a gentle giant with a good heart.

Last, but certainly not least, there was Chet. You could not ask for a better friend. Once you'd met him, you were immediately drawn in, because he was so likeable. His knack for finding new hobbies always interested people because you never knew what he'd do next.

Frank was especially grateful for Chet's interest in comic books as it had helped open the lines of communication with Henry. Spider-Man was a tool Frank was sure they could use to help his friend.

Chet would take care of Henry. He had that protective quality about him. He would be an amazing big brother for Henry.

However, Chet and his parents had gone through a lot losing Iola. She'd been such a beautiful person with a big heart, always wanting to help the needy. The way she'd embraced life with open arms was just amazing. She would have welcomed Henry into her home as well as her heart.

For the Morton family to open their home to Henry, even knowing that he carried a lot of baggage with him, spoke volumes about their character. Frank didn't want to see them get hurt again.

(OOOOOOOOOO)

Joe had tears in the corners of his blue eyes. His Dad had done it. He'd kept his word and found a safe place for Henry. Chet's home was perfect. Without a word, Joe took off and headed to the waiting room, where he thought he'd find his father.

"Con, I think…." Fenton started to say then stopped when he saw Joe coming into the waiting room in tears. "Joe…" Con stepped aside just in time to avoid being hit as the youngest Hardy threw his arms around his father.

Fenton wasted no time and enveloped his son in his arms, wanting to comfort his son. "Dad... thank you."

"Thank you for everything. For loving us even when we screw up. For always being there when we need you." Finally, he glanced up and continued, his voice a little stronger. "Thank you for finding Henry a safe place to live. Chet told us what you did."

Blinking back tears of his own, Fenton used his thumbs to wipe the tears off Joe's face. "I'd do anything for you."


	29. Chapter 29

A special thanks to Cherylann Rivers, Paulina Ann, Robin's Egg, nancy drew 11, FANHB08 for taking the time to read and review my last chapter, it gives me the courage to keep on writing. I'd also like to take the time to thank of you who are following this story. And a big thank you to elven buddy for beta reading my story.

How do you like the story so far? what do you think of the Spider-Man/ superhero part? What do you think of the situation between the brothers? What will happen when Frank goes way to Princeton? What do you think of Henry? Will there be a trial? What's going on with Hayden? And will Frank finally tell Callie how he feels about her?

I know said 29 would be my last chapter, however as I was reading through my story I realized Frank and Joe hadn't had chance to kick some butt, so there will be one more chapter 30 which I'm currently working on, there will be something big... Lot of this is setting up for the sequels.

(OOOOOOO)

Pressure chapter 29

Bridgeport Pennsylvania:

Carolyn was sitting lazily on her bed of her motel room, she ran a hand through her short raven hair that she'd done a few moments ago, suddenly her prepaid phone started vibrating in her pocket.

"Hello," she answered.

"Carolyn?"

"Ryan!" She gasped at the familiar voice.

"Yes it's me."

"Baby, where are you?"

"At home, I was just released this morning. The damn judge has me on house arrest; I can't leave this god forsaken town until my court appearance. Daniel says I may have to pay a damn fine and spend a month in jail." He fumed. "All because I failed to report Jack for abusing his students. I'm also barred from stepping on any school property."

He laughed sarcastically, "Like I give a damn about that anyway, the only reason I took the job as principal was because of my big brother. All I care about right now is getting Jack free."

"Okay, so what's going on now?" Carolyn asked eagerly.

"Where's Cindy?"

Carolyn heard the water running and answered, "In the bathroom dying her hair like you wanted us to do." She whispered into the phone. "All she thinks about is her kid. We may have to take care of her."

"Oh and…I also found out some information I think you're going to love. I found out Fenton Hardy is taking care of the arrangements to place Henry with a foster family. The only thing I don't know yet is who the family is. I do know he will be discharged from the hospital soon."

"That's good news. It's going to makes revenge a whole lot sweeter." Ryan replied firmly. "We'll take care of Cindy later."

"Right now, I need the two of you to leave Bridgeport and head to Bellevue New York. Once you find somewhere to lie low, wait for me to call you; I'll tell you what's next. We'll wait for things to calm down. We'll find out where Henry is and then he and Joe Hardy will get the surprise of their lives."

(OOOOOOO)

Bayport:

"Frank, why don't you look as thrilled as Joe about Henry staying with me?" Chet asked, noting his disgruntled face. "Is there something I need to know? If yes, please tell me."

Frank could see the concern on Chet and Biff's faces. Taking a breath, he began to explain. "You're right. I'm not thrilled."

"To be honest with you I don't trust Henry." There. He'd said it out loud. He'd finally admitted it to himself. "I've had a bit of a trust issue, with him from the moment I found out how he treated you guys. I don't want him to hurt anyone again."

Chet's eyes widened. "Do you think he will?" He trusted Frank's word. He knew he'd never lie to him.

"That's the thing; I just don't know. Joe and I have this ongoing debate about whether or not Henry will become like his father."

"I promised him that I'd try to become friends with Henry. I told Henry the same thing. I want to help him in any way that I can but now that I've heard this whole Spider-man thing, I'm torn. I don't know what to do."

"I can't ignore the fact that he and Hayden do have some similarities. They both have some form of dyslexia. And Henry's already shown signs that he can become abusive as well." Then he shrugged, "I mean, what other traits do the two of them share?"

"What if Hayden really is a sociopath, what does that mean for Henry?"

All at once, vivid images flashed in Frank's head of Hayden shoving a knife into his brother's mouth before dragging him off the bed and locking him into that rat-infested closet.

Frank touched the bandage on his left wrist that covered the lacerations, as the thought of Hayden standing over him, a belt in his hand ready to beat him entered his mind.

Suddenly, Frank felt rage swelling up inside of him. He felt the pressure growing inside of him. Everything had happened because of Hayden, Henry and Joe. His breathing got shallower as it increased in speed. He wanted to hit something, or someone.

"Frank!"

"You okay, buddy?" Chet placed a hand on Frank's shoulder.

Chet and Biff were shocked; the only time they'd ever seen Frank get that angry was if someone had hurt Joe.

The sound of his friends' voices snapped him out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm sorry," Feeling embarrassed by his actions, Frank replied calmly as he confirmed their suspicions, "Henry's already gotten violent with Joe once. And then there's his obsession he has with my brother, if you can even call it an obsession."

"What! Henry hurt Joe?" Biff said heatedly, "Oh, hell no!"

Biff was just as protective of Joe as Frank was and as such his reaction was just what Frank had hoped it would be. Biff had always been a loyal and trusted friend to his younger brother. Aside from their humorous and impulsive nature that always got them in trouble, Frank could also always count on Biff to keep Joe in line.

Frank nodded and quickly began to tell his friends about Henry and the food tray incident that had caused him to have a panic attack.

"Apparently, Henry was in the middle of a panic attack himself after having flashbacks of Hayden hitting him just as Joe came into the room. Joe scared him and he reacted by throwing his food tray at him."

"Whoa." Chet whistled. He couldn't help but feel a little angry after hearing this. "You said something about an obsession? What is that about?"

"I'm probably over-thinking this," Frank admitted as he ran a hand through his hair. "But, it seems as though Henry worships Joe like he would a hero."

"You mean like a superhero?"

"Yeah, it's something like that."

"What makes you believe that?" Chet asked again.

"Henry has this superhero character that he drew that looks a lot like Joe." Frank sighed in frustration, "It's not just that it's the way he acts around my brother."

"After the whole tray incident, once everything had calmed down, Joe and I went back to Henry's room. The next time around, everything was different; the moment Joe walked in, Henry's face lit up, he was so excited to see him."

"But when I walked in, I saw his face change; he had this look in his eyes that said quite plainly, that he did not want me there." Frank shook his head. "At first I thought maybe he could sense my anger, because I was in there when he threw that tray at Joe."

"I know the reason Henry is attached to my brother is because Joe has been there for him from the very beginning. Joe helped him with his assignments so that he wouldn't fall behind in his classes. Joe protected him from the bullies at school. And Joe was the first person who knew he was being abused by Hayden."

"Now they've formed this friendship that I don't understand. Maybe I'm just jealous, I don't know." Though Frank was perplexed, he continued on expressing his thoughts. "But what I do know is that drawing bothers the hell out of me. I have this bad feeling that there is something off about Henry."

"What does Joe think of all this?" Biff inquired, wrinkling his forehead. He didn't like the sound of this, the idea of the superhero version of Joe crept him out.

"This is where we disagree." Frank replied, "Joe thinks I'm blowing that drawing of him out of proportion. He gets very defensive of Henry and is hell bent on trying to help him and trusts that he won't hurt him."

"Joe ended up taking the blame for the whole tray incident. If you ask him, he was the one at fault because he was being loud and impulsive and scared Henry as a result. Maybe part of that is true. My brother believes that Henry will overcome his issues and won't turn into a monster, like his father.'

Biff exchanged looks with Chet before turning back to Frank. "Frank, Joe's your brother; you have every right to be concerned."

"Hayden put you guys through hell. With this thing going on with Henry, whatever it is, it's a good idea to be cautious; especially since we haven't known him long. Hell, what do we really know about him?"

"Maybe it's not a good idea for Henry to be living with us." Chet said thoughtfully, "I certainly don't want him to cause a problem for my parents. They don't need that."

"How come your Dad didn't mention the drawing?"

"That's because he doesn't know about it, or at least he doesn't know everything about the drawing." Frank was dreading explaining that to his father. "I mean he's seen it and has questioned it, but right now, for him at least, it's not a priority. He's more focused on the upcoming trial."

Frank felt bad for his friend. He understood his concern, especially after the hell they'd been through after Iola's death. Chet had every right to feel that way.

"Everything has to go according to the plan. There's obviously a reason as to why Dad's placed Henry with you. The fact that he'll be with you guys might turn out to be a good thing."

"There's always a chance that I'm wrong about Henry. In fact, I pray that I'm wrong, but again, I just don't know." He placed a hand on Chet's shoulder. "I just need for you to be aware of what you're getting into. Like Biff said, we have to be careful around Henry."

Now was the time to put his plan into action. Frank paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and decide what he wanted to say; asking for help was never easy.

He looked at his two friends. "However, I need your help."

Biff and Chet could both see the worry in his eyes. "Of course, just name it." Biff agreed.

They would never turn down the chance to help their friends because you could always count on the Hardys to have your back one hundred percent every time you needed them to. If the world had known just how many times Frank and Joe had put their lives on the line in order to save the life of another, be it friend or stranger, it would be mind blowing.

"Thanks." Frank said, grateful for their help. "The thing is Joe can't know about it. Don't underestimate him, he will figure it out."

"What do you need us to do?" Chet asked again.

"When Joe comes back he's going to want to go in and see Henry," Frank began to explain his plan. "I need you guys to go in there with him."

"You're not going in with us?"

"No, I am too close to this because of Joe. I need someone with a new perspective; perhaps you will see something different. Observe Henry's interaction with Joe. Just be yourselves. Act casual and talk to Henry about anything that comes to mind."

"My only request is that you don't leave them alone," Frank stated. Finally, he told them about his leaving for Princeton in less than a month's time, and just what he'd need them to do while he was away.

"Come on guys. Let's go tell Henry the good news." Joe smiled as he rejoined his brother and friends. On a serious note he added, "I still need to tell him about the trial."

Frank saw the grin on his brother's face. It made him happy to see it as it was something he hadn't seen in a long time. He was grateful that his father had kept his word to Joe. Seeing his brother happy was the best thing in the world.

"Joe, you and Chet go in first." Frank suggested. "Chet can give him that Spider-Man comic book. Then let him know the Biff is here and that he would like to see him. That way he won't be caught off guard and go into a panic attack."

"That's a good idea. Aren't you coming in with us?" Joe asked his brother.

"No, not this time," Frank answered. "I need a little break right now. Chet and Biff will stay in there with you."

Biff and Chet nodded at Frank, knowing the plan and what they were supposed to do.

"Okay." Joe gave his brother a questioning look but said nothing and went into Henry's room with Chet.

"Do you think this'll work?" Biff asked Frank once they were alone.

"We'll find out soon enough."

(OOOOOOOOOO)

"Hi Henry. See, I told you I'd be back," Joe announced calmly as he and Chet entered the room and stood by his friend's bedside.

Chet saw a big smile on Henry's face as soon he saw Joe. He didn't think it seemed weird, then again he wasn't sure what to look for but, he kept in mind what Frank had told him. It was his job to keep an eye on Henry.

"I ran into Chet in the hallway," Joe put a hand on Chet's shoulder.

Henry's eyes shifted over to Chet, the smile remaining on his face. "Hi." He answered as he straightened out his blanket.

Chet smiled back. "Hi, Henry, how are you?"

"Fine I guess."

"I brought this for you." Chet handed Henry the Spider-man comic book. He saw a drawing of a blonde superhero in the boy's hand. He studied the face closely. Frank was right; that did look like Joe. It was creepy, Chet noted to himself.

"Thank you." Henry replied, running his hand over the front cover of the comic book.

"Henry, there's someone else here to see you." Joe said, he was not sure how this was going to go.

"Who's that?" Henry asked curiously.

"Biff Hooper," Joe answered.

Henry just looked at him, puzzled.

Joe went on, "You sat beside him at Prito's; you guys were laughing and joking around, generally having a good time. He was here the other day. I know things didn't go well between the two of you but you should know he's been very concerned about you."

Joe went to the open door and beckoned Biff into the room. Henry's breathing grew heavier the second he saw Biff, as he started to panic. Chet noticed that Henry had the comic book clenched in one hand, the drawing in the other.

"Uh, maybe this isn't a good idea?" Biff hesitated and hung back not wanting to stress the kid out more.

Joe immediately stepped in and worked on calming his friend down. "Henry, calm down. You're okay, Biff is okay. He won't hurt you; I promise." He put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

Just like he had earlier, Henry once again began to relax as he listened to Joe. Once he'd fully relaxed, Joe gestured for Biff to come closer.

Biff did just that. Joe put his hand on his chest before gesturing to Biff. "Biff is one of my best friends. We have a lot of fun together. He's a good guy."

"Yeah, that's me; always ready to have fun." He answered Joe's banter before turning to Henry. "I'm sorry I scared you the other day, that wasn't my intention."

"I-I'm sorry, too," Henry answered; now feeling calmer. "I didn't mean to act the way I did. You guys have been really nice to me."

Chet noticed that this time Henry had loosened his grip on the comic book he'd been clutching. However, the drawing of Joe stayed clutched in the other hand. What was that about?

"You don't have to apologize, Henry. Today is a good day to start over and be friends." Biff said. He was doing his best to stay calm; he was pissed off at the fact that Henry had hurt Joe. However, he had Frank's plan in the back of his mind, his part was to look out for Joe.

"Biff is also a huge Spider-Man fan." Joe quickly pointed out. That caused a smile to break out on Henry's face.

"Yes, I am. And I'm dying to know what's going on between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin." Biff remarking, nodding at the two characters on the cover of the comic in Henry's hand.

Then, before long, everything was calm and the four of them began talking and laughing about the Spider-man comic book.

(OOOOOOOOOO)

"Hm." Frank thought as he watched the scene from the doorway.

"Frank."

Frank turned away from the doorway to glance into the hallway where he saw his father striding towards him.

"I know you're not happy with this arrangement with Henry." Fenton said, he could see the evidence on his son's face the closer he got. "I need you to trust me."

"Dad, I know you have your reasons and I trust you," Frank answered. Then he voiced his concern. "I just have to ask. They won't get hurt, right? The Mortons have been through so much already because of Iola."

"I know you're concerned son. Charles and Donna are both aware of all Henry's issues. They aren't alone in this; Chief Collig, Dr. Reese and I will stay in touch with them to make sure everything's okay. And they'll keep us informed of any problems as well."

Silence began to fill the hallway between father and son. Frank saw a look cross Fenton's face. His father couldn't hide it; Frank knew something was up.

"I do have some news."

"Dad, what is it?"

Fenton grimly huffed, "I was talking with Con just before Joe came into the waiting room and we received a call from Chief Collig." He'd been livid when he got the news; even now it was taking everything in him to stay in control.

"Daniel Bartend got the court order. Jack Hayden was taken to a mental hospital in Bellevue New York a few hours ago; he had another one of his breakdowns."

"What?" Frank's eyes widened. Damn! This couldn't be happening.

Suddenly, a roar of laughing from inside Henry's room got Frank's attention. He peeked inside to see what was going on.

There was Joe sitting on the corner of Henry's bed with Biff standing next to him. Chet was sitting in a chair facing them. Joe must've said or done something funny because Biff, Chet and Henry were all holding their stomachs, doubled over, laughing. Once they'd wiped the tears of laughter away and calmed down, Biff started goofing off with Joe as he often did, playfully punching Joe in the shoulder.

Frank immediately looked over at Henry. He gasped, there it was! It was as though someone had flipped a switch, the younger teenager's eyes were blazing hot as he directed them at Biff.

Chet must have seen it too because he glanced over his shoulder meeting Frank's eyes. Frank gave him a slight nod, indicating that yes, he'd seen it. Just as he'd thought; maybe he was right after all.

(OOOOOOoOO)

Touching his arm where Biff had punched him Joe stopped laughing when he caught Henry's angry reaction. He mentally began to kick himself. He and Biff did sometimes have a tendency to get a little carried away. It looked like this was one of those times.

Their friends were used to them throwing punches at each other; they knew they'd never intentionally hurt each other. Usually they'd get a stern look from Frank, warning them to knock it off when their roughhousing started to get out of hand. Henry however, didn't know the difference; to him punches were met with pain.

He quickly began to diffuse the situation. "Henry, we need to talk," Joe began on a serious note once the boys had calmed down.

Touch him again and you'll be sorry, Henry threatened silently before shifting his gaze over to Joe.

"Talk about what?" Henry said giving Joe his attention.

"We'll let the two of you talk." Chet said, taking that as his cue. He quickly got up from his chair and grabbing Biff by the arm, pulled him to the other side of the room.

"Did you see that look Henry gave you when you punched Joe in the arm?" He asked Biff once they were out of earshot. "Let's just say if looks could kill, Biff, you'd be dead right now."

Biff shook his head and whispered. "What… I did not hurt Joe. We joke around like that all the time. Joe knows that and so do you."

"Yeah, but, I don't think Henry liked that." Chet simply replied.

"So what, I'm not allowed to joke around with Joe anymore?" Biff whispered back, anger clear in his voice. "Joe isn't his only friend, you know."

"Of course, you can still joke around with Joe," Chet answered. "But I think for the time being, you should watch yourself around him, especially when Henry's around. Frank asked us to observe Henry's interactions with his brother. From what I've seen so far, I have to agree with Frank, something is definitely off about Henry. I did get a brief look at the drawing Frank was talking about. It does look an awful lot like Joe."

"Don't forget we're supposed to keep an eye on Joe and Henry while Frank is away."

"Oh, I know my job. You can bet I'll be keeping an eye on Joe." Biff retorted. With that, Biff and Chet turned their attention back to Joe and Henry.

"Henry," Joe started off calmly. "Do you remember what Frank said about being free of Jack and how the only way to do that is to talk about it?"

"Y-yeah." Henry stuttered.

"There is a way to do that." Joe took a deep breath and prayed that Henry could handle this. He put a calming hand on the younger teen's shoulder, seeing that he was on the verge of yet another panic attack. "Henry, look at me."

Henry did as Joe instructed.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good." Joe looked Henry right in the eyes. He said calmly, "I'm telling you this because you have a right to know what's going on, but before I tell you, you have to promise to stay calm."

Henry could see Joe was serious, and he began to feel a bit nervous. He said, "I promise, I'll try."

"Okay. Here goes." Joe sighed, took a deep breath, and just spit it out. "There's going to be a trial for Jack and they need you to testify."

Henry's eyes widened and his face paled. "No…no... I don't want to see J-Jack." Henry adamantly shook his head. "Please… don't let them make me." He cried.

"Henry, I know it sounds scary. Believe me; I don't want to do it either." Joe kept his voice calm and continued explaining. "Think about all the crap he did to you. Doesn't it make you angry? Don't you want Jack to pay for hurting you?"

Henry nodded tearfully.

"You can do this Henry. You have the power to do this. Think of it as Spider-man defeating the bad guys." He tapped the cover of the comic book. "You can defeat Jack by talking about what he did to you and sending his ass to prison."

"What happens if I don't?" Henry asked, whispering

"Then Jack will for free." Joe answered simply.

Henry went quiet; Joe could tell he was processing everything. "Are you going to be there?"

"You bet I'll be there." Joe said immediately. He touched the bandage on his lip. "So will Frank and a whole lot of other people. Jack has hurt many people and we are not going to let him get away with it. Jack is going to pay for his crimes."

"The question is, will you help us Henry?"

Henry went silent again. Joe waited as patiently as he could for his friend to answer him.

Henry unclenching the hand that held the drawing of Joe and stared at the crinkled face for a minute before replying. "Okay, I'll do it."

A smile spread across Joe's face as relief washed over him. Hayden's ass was going to prison and Henry was going to get justice.


	30. Chapter 30

Thank you John Quest, Robin's Egg , Guest, nancy drew, Cherylann Rivers for reading and reviewing my last chapter and also thank you to those who are following, and favorites you all are amazing. Also, want to give a big thank you to elven buddy for helping me beta read my story.

I was hoping to make this one my last chapter, but it didn't turn out that way. Chapter 31 will be the last chapter. Frank and Joe will have a chance to kick some butt, and something big is going to happen that will set the tone for the sequels...

I also decided to delete my original story of Pressure since I've replaced it with this one.

Before you read I should mention the subject of rape is mentioned this chapter, there is no actual rape happening in this it is just implied. Let me know your thoughts :)

* * *

(OOOOOOO)

Pressure Chapter 30

Two weeks later:

It was 10 o'clock at night when Carolyn pulled a rusty looking Volkswagen into the parking lot of a motel, just a couple miles outside of Bellevue. She reached over and grabbed her purse from the passenger seat. Taking a syringe out of her shirt pocket, she placed it in her purse before hugging it to her chest. "It happened again..." She quickly wiped the tears off her face.

She glanced up into the rear view mirror, taking the time to adjust the baseball cap on her head. Suddenly her eyes caught a glimpse of a police car, slowly driving past the place.

"Oh shit!" She cursed ducking down in her seat with her heart racing in her chest. She had been careful not to draw attention to herself. Maybe she hadn't been as careful as she'd thought. Carolyn lifted her head to see if the coast was clear. To her relief the police car was nowhere in sight.

The warm night air hit her as Carolyn got out of the car. She lowered her cap, kept her head down, and headed for her room to avoid making eye contact with people passing by. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of guests staying at the motel. She hated this place and could not wait to leave Bellevue. The only reason they'd even stayed here was to hide out and wait for Ryan to call with further instructions.

As she walked past the manager's office, a shiver ran down her spine at the thought of Mr. Winston. The dirty old bastard had done nothing but hit on her and Cindy, starting the moment they'd checked into the motel. She could still taste the beer that had been on the man's breath, when he'd kissed her in his office as he tried to force himself on her.

A sly smile slid across her face as she thought about what had happened next. She'd turned the tables on him; tricking the manager into taking her for a drive so they could be alone. The man had been pretty giddy at the thought of being alone with her.

Mr. Winston had taken her to a wooded area where he'd tried to attack her again but hadn't gotten the chance as she'd plunged a syringe into his chest and dragged him out of the car, leaving him in the woods. He'd picked the wrong girl to mess with. She hated men like that, men who would prey on women as if they were a piece of meat. Men like that were pigs, dirty filthy pigs. They deserved to die.

Once inside her motel room Carolyn found Cindy Hayden looking out the window. "Cindy get away from the window!" She hissed angrily.

"Do you think that cop knows we're here?" Cindy asked, hurriedly stepping away from the window.

"I don't know. I wish Ryan would hurry up and call so we can get the hell out of here," Carolyn replied as she walked over to place her purse on the bed. "Oh, I took care of that old bastard; he won't be bothering anyone ever again."

"What did you do with him?" Cindy asked gently.

"He's dead, that's all that matters." Carolyn replied coldly. "That's why we have to go."

Cindy brushed a strand of her new shoulder length blond hair out of her face before joining her friend. "Let's go back to Bayport first and get Henry."

"Would you forget about him?" Carolyn snapped back. She was sick and tired of hearing her talk about her kid.

"I want my son!" Cindy's cheeks became red as her eyes flooded with anger. We should have grabbed him when we had the chance, when you were helping me escape from the hospital. Just like you did last time!"

"I told you. It was different this time." The nurse fired back. "There wasn't time to get Henry out of there. It was pure luck that I managed to use the lady cop as a distraction when I knocked over that medical equipment to get us both out of there. We cannot go back for him."

"With all the security they have there's no way we'll be able to get to him without getting caught. Besides, before I left the hospital I found out Fenton Hardy is handling the arrangements to place Henry in a foster home." Carolyn snorted, "If that's the case you'll probably never see Henry again."

"I don't care who Fenton Hardy is. No one is taking Henry away from me." Cindy hissed, glaring at her. "If you're not going to help me, I'll get Henry myself."

"You're making no sense; the police are looking for us Cindy. If you go back to Bayport, you'll ruin everything for Jack and Ryan." Carolyn took her cap off, throwing it onto the bed before running her hands through her hair.

"Of all the places we could have ended up in, Bayport was a huge mistake. It just so happened to be the hometown of a world famous detective."

"The only reason I helped you disappear with Henry from the hospital a year ago was because of the pact we made. Then you had to go and run away with that damn kid all because you couldn't handle your problems with Jack. Now look at the mess we're in. And it's your fault, yours and Henry!"

"We're going to have to disappear for good this time, before anyone especially Fenton Hardy starts snooping around in our past."

"I know… I'm sorry for all of this." Cindy cried tearfully.

"The four of us promised to always protect each other." Carolyn folded her arms tightly across her chest. "Do you remember what we did? What we had to do? Just like what I had to do to that motel manager."

With a smile, she sniffed back her angry tears. "I'll always be indebted to Ryan for what he did for me. Thanks to him my step father and his bastard son never touched me again."

"And Jack, what about what he did for you?" Bitterness filled her voice as she spoke. "Your house went up in flames… with your parents in it."

"Don't… Karen, please. I don't want to hear anymore!" Cindy cried, throwing her hands to her ears; she turned her back to her friend.

"Don't call me Karen!" Carolyn grabbed Cindy by the shoulders and spun her around forcing her to face her. "She's been dead for 17 years."

"Oh my god… I-It slipped out," Cindy gasped, and slapped her hand over her mouth realizing her mistake. She saw the haunted look in the woman's eyes.

"I-I am so sorry." She sobbed throwing her arms around Carolyn. "We've been best friends for a long time. We have been through a lot together good... and bad. I love you like a sister, I'll always protect you." She said releasing Carolyn from the hug.

Carolyn took a calming breath and plastered a smile on her face; she brushed a string of blonde hair out of her friend's eyes. "I love you too. We may not be blood, but you will forever be my big sister. I'll do anything for you."

There was a short pause before the women spoke again.

"I do remember the pact that we made. Jack… he always protected me from my father." Cindy began again, "The despicable things that man did to me. My mother… I hated her… she let him…" Her voice trailed off. She could not bring herself to finish the sentence.

"God, I can't believe it's been 17 years since it all happened." She sat down on the bed and hugged her arms to her body feeling a shiver. "I feel so lost without Jack, Carolyn. I've been with him since I was sixteen. He always took care of me." She blinked a tear from her eyes.

"I know he didn't mean to hurt me and… Henry. Jack has a sickness that makes him angry all the time. It's not his fault he can't help it." She touched the faded bruise on her cheek. "Sometime… I forget that I have to watch of what I say and do that I won't set him off."

"Jack needs help. He needs me and I most certainly need him. He'll get Henry back to me. He still loves us. I-I know he does. We are a family." Cindy sobbed, "And we will be together again."

Annoyed with the last part, Carolyn fought the urge to roll her eyes. "That's how I feel about Ryan." Her eyes darkened as she added, "I love him and I'll do anything for him." She sat down next to Cindy and put her hand in hers, "We owe them our lives."

"Yes we do." Cindy squeezed her friend's hand in reply. Suddenly Carolyn prepaid phone started vibrating in her pocket.

"Ryan," she answered it knowing who it was.

"Carolyn?"

"Finally," She smiled at her friend. 'Baby, where've you been? It's been two week…."

"Never mind that," Ryan interrupted her, "Let's just say I have someone looking into locating Henry for us."

"Good." Carolyn said stumbling on her words. "Listen Ryan, I-I had to take care of a little matter...with the motel manager."

"Is he dead?"

"Yes."

"Damn it Carolyn! This had better not come back to bite us in the ass! We're so close to getting Jack out!"

"I had to do it! That bastard tried to rape me!" She screamed into the phone.

"Alright…alright, but, no more, right now we focus on Jack," He huffed. "Now there isn't much time, so listen closely. I have a job I need you two to do…

(OOOOOOO)

Bayport the next morning:

Frank was sitting at his desk. It was a beautiful Saturday morning the sunlight was shining through his bedroom window telling him to go out and enjoy the day, but here he was staring at his computer screen lost in his thoughts. He'd been up early thinking about everything that has taken place in the past few weeks ever since the Hayden nightmare happened. He'll never forget Hayden standing over him ready to beat him with a belt and the abuse he had done to Joe. He vowed to make it his personal mission to make sure Hayden suffers the consequences of his abuse.

Then there was Henry, the victim of Hayden's abuse and the man's son and the kid that was quickly becoming a thorn in Frank's side.

Dr. Reese had finally given the okay to release Henry from the hospital. Frank still had reservations involving the whole thing; he prayed his father was right in saying that the Mortons would be the right family for Henry. He needed a place to feel safe and secure, especially with the trial hanging over their heads. Laura Hardy had left not too long ago in order to help Donna Morton with the preparations for Henry's welcoming party.

He was grateful for Chet and Biff's help in keeping an eye on Joe and Henry. Then again, how safe and secure could any place actually be? Frank suddenly felt a cold chill wash over him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something in the pit of his stomach told him something bad was going to take place today.

Joe was probably the biggest worry on Frank's mental list of worries. Frank just couldn't stop thinking about Henry's angry reaction when Biff had playfully punched Joe in the arm. He'd gotten angry so quickly.

In truth, Frank knew he would've reacted the same way Henry had because he knew he'd tear into anyone who hurt his brother. Still, he knew Biff didn't intentionally hurt Joe. He was used to their roughhousing. Normally, all he'd have to do was give Joe a stern look, warning him to stop before things got out of hand.

As usual, Joe downplayed the whole thing by going on the defense and saying that he and Biff were the ones at fault. They shouldn't have been roughhousing around Henry.

Frank was glad that his little brother had gotten Henry to agree to testify against Hayden. Still hell-bent on helping his friend, Joe had been furious when he'd told him about Daniel Bartend getting a court order to have Jack Hayden taken to a mental hospital in Bellevue New York for evaluation after he'd had another breakdown.

A smile spread across his face as he thought of his little brother. He was grateful that Joe seemed to be healing well from their ordeal. The bandages that had been on his arm were gone, as were the stitches; he'd been so happy to finally be able to eat "real food" as he'd put it and as she'd promised him Laura had made his favorite food for supper.

Frank did see signs of the 'old' Joe coming back; he was clearly determined to move past it all and just have fun, concentrating on his friends and family. However, Frank knew it was all an act. Mentally, Joe wasn't dealing with the aftermath of Hayden's abuse well at all. Frank's smile disappeared. The first few nights they were home, Joe'd woken him up, screaming due to nightmares.

Frank had gone into his room to wake him up before he woke up their parents. Joe had made him swear not to tell their parents about the nightmares.

Every night since, Frank stayed alert, just in case the nightmares made a reappearance. So far, they'd seemed to have diminished, or at least that was what Joe had told him. But Frank had a feeling his little brother wasn't exactly being truthful.

Joe knocked on his brother's doorframe, as he made his way into the room, breaking Frank out of his thoughts. "Frank, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Joe?"

"Can't you do that later?" Joe asked, annoyed when he saw his brother at his computer. "We have to go pick up Henry in a couple of hours and take him out to the farm."

"Actually little brother, you, and Dad are tagging along with Chet and Mr. Morton when they go to get Henry." Frank looked up at Joe and evenly replied. "I'm going to go pick up Callie and meet everyone out there for the party."

"What the hell is wrong you? You've been sulking for the last few weeks." Joe complained, folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh, I don't know little brother, you tell me?" Frank shot back. "Why would I be in this mood?"

"You know what? I'm not getting into it with you right now." Joe bit his tongue to hold back his temper. "You will at least be civil to him, right?"

"Yes." Frank replied calmly before taking a breath.

"So this is how it's going to be for the two of us now? We can't go on like this. With me leaving for Princeton, the last thing I want is for us to be fighting."

"Well, I don't want to fight with you either." Joe said slowly. "So… How do we fix this?"

"I don't know." Frank shrugged. "Henry seems to be the focus of our disagreeing."

"It's not all about Henry, Frank. Our feelings are both still a bit raw after dealing with Hayden. I'm still having nightmares of him..." Joe's voice trailed off.

Joe's breath began coming out in wheezes as Frank put a hand on his shoulder. "Joe, you're okay. You're safe," he said soothingly. "Just as I thought, the nightmares haven't gone away. You know if this keeps up you're going to have to say something to Mom and Dad."

After a few minutes, Joe began to calm down.

"You're not going to tell them, are you?" Joe quickly put in, "They don't have to know, it'll only make them worry. You and I have talked about wanting to be independent and make decisions for ourselves."

"With you away at college, it's going to be just the three of us. Mom and Dad are going to expect more out of me. That means I can't be their immature and careless son anymore. I have to show them that I can be mature, and take care of my responsibilities. I'm going to be a senior next year; I have to learn to fix my own problems."

He put in his final point. "Besides, the nightmares aren't really that bad. I can deal with it."

Frank sighed warily. He knew part of that wasn't true. "I only promised not to say anything to them as long as you continue with your therapy".

"Which you have been doing, right?"

"Yes and no." Joe answered vaguely. He began shifting nervously from one leg to the other.

"Joe."

"Okay, okay," The younger Hardy sighed.

"I do turn off my phone and computer to disconnect from the world and try to relax like Dr. Reese said to do. It's just the sitting down part I can't do. The whole journal thing is a good idea and all, but it's just not for me. I can't do it."

"All right, please promise me you will find something that works for you." Frank shifted into big brother mode. "I can't and won't go away to college if I have to worry about you like this. This therapy thing is good to try and help you keep your anxiety in check."

Frank threw out a couple of suggestions to help his brother out. "You like being outdoors, and sports. I know how much you thrive on those football workouts and getting ready for game time."

With his plan in mind, he added, "Biff would be working out right along with you, so it's not like you would be doing it alone."

"Oh, and if he does decide to audition for the part of Romeo," he laughed softly. "You have to please… please get a front row seat because I've got to know how that works out."

"Don't worry bro. There's no way I'd miss that." Joe laughed then added in a serious tone. "And yeah, I can't wait to get back into football. The only therapy I want to do right now, is some detective work".

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Frank agreed. "Detective work is definitely the kind of therapy I need. In fact, I've been doing a little therapy myself, by looking into both Mrs. Hayden and Nurse Matthews' disappearances."

Joe raised an eyebrow when he saw the Southport Hospital staff records on Frank's computer screen. "I'm not even going to ask how you got that."

His big brother's ability to hack into unauthorized files always amazed him. There wasn't a code or password Frank couldn't break; Frank loved his computer the way some people loved their pets. He was the only person Joe knew who had a subscription to the magazine _Advanced Computer Abstracts_ that he read for pure enjoyment.

With everything he knew, Frank's brain was pretty much a computer in itself. Joe had no doubt that Princeton would be a cinch for his Brainiac brother.

Joe smiled slightly. He hoped Princeton was ready for Frank, because he'd probably end up teaching them a thing or two.

"So, did you find anything interesting?" Joe asked, leaning over his brother's shoulder to look at the screen.

"Actually I did." It was Frank's turn to smile. They may be disagreeing when it came to Henry, but neither brother could pass up the chance to do some sleuthing together.

"I decided to narrow down the search to focus on one person, Carolyn Matthews. Here's a photo of the nurse that the hospital gave to Dad," Frank picked up a photo off his desk of a nurse in her late thirties, of average height, wearing light blue scrubs. Her hair was long and brunette, pulled back into a ponytail.

"So far, I haven't been able to find a Carolyn Matthews in the hospital staff records, past or present. But, I did find this." He switched tabs, pulling up a news article from the _Southport Gazette_ , with the headline, Nurse Suspected in Patient Death.

Frank pointed to the picture of the woman on the screen. "She looks a great deal like this woman here, don't you think?"

"Yes, she does." Joe took a second to study the face on the screen before looking back down at the photo. "According to the article the woman's name is Karen Marshall. What if 'Carolyn' is an alias? That might be why you can't find her in the records."

"That's what I was thinking, little brother." Frank agreed then he went on to read, "It says here that the Southport Police are looking for Karen Marshall, who should be in her late twenties or early thirties."

"Karen Marshall is a person of interest to the police. The hospital fired her after she stole medication and had conducted herself inappropriately towards a patient. A Duncan Edwards, a man in his late forties, died under her care."

"This happened on June 3rd about a year ago."

"Whoa." Joe whistled. "Does it say how the man died?"

"After an autopsy was performed on Mr. Edwards he was found to be diabetic. A large amount of insulin, enough to kill a person, was found in his bloodstream."

The brothers stared at each other. "Frank, what kind of people are we dealing with?" Joe voiced the question they were both thinking. "Cindy Hayden, Ryan Hayden and now Carolyn Matthews... they could all be just as dangerous as Jack Hayden."

"We know Carolyn Matthews helped Henry's mother disappear from the hospital, twice. If this Carolyn Matthews and Karen Marshall are in fact the same person and she is somehow involved with Hayden... for Henry's sake as well as ours, we have to find her. As soon as possible."

"I agree. It is worth looking into." Frank said processing all this latest information. 'First we need to talk to Dad about this. It could make a difference in the trial."

There was a knock on Frank's door. "Boys," the brothers looked up as Fenton appeared in the doorway. Just by the look on his face, they knew right away that something was very, very wrong.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Frank asked worriedly.

"There's been a change in plans. I've been called down to the station; Sam is meeting me there." Fenton looked at his youngest and instructed, "Joe, Chet, and his Dad will be here in a little while to take you to the hospital to pick up Henry. Then Con and Officer Baker will escort you all out to the farm."

"Why has something happened?"

"I'm afraid so. The Bellevue hospital was evacuated last night due to a fire on the second floor." Fenton got right to the point.

"What!" the boys exclaimed in unison.

"Bellevue Hospital, you mean the mental hospital that Hayden was taken to?" Joe asked feeling anxious.

"Yes. I don't know all the details yet. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. It's still quite chaotic from what I'm told. All the patients, except one, were accounted for." Fenton continued to explain to the boys before they bombarded him with questions.

Joe's face paled, he could feel his heart pumping from inside his chest as he asked, "Dad... please, tell me they have Hayden?"

Fenton gently placed a hand on his younger son's shoulder; he could feel him shaking with fear. He silently cursed Hayden who was responsible for doing this to his son. "No, they don't have him. Hayden is missing. A search is underway to find him."

Joe turned the words over in his head. Missing…Hayden…missing...His breathing grew heavier as he thought of all the tiny feet crawling over him...their teeth, sharp teeth nipping at his flesh...the taste of the metal knife. He placed a trembling hand on his lip, the one, which had been, bandaged not all that long ago. "NO!... _NO!_ God, no!"

"Joe!" Frank and Fenton's voices brought him out of his panicked state. Frank was on his feet immediately. "Come and sit down," he said as he guided his brother over to his bed.

Frank sat down next to him rubbing his back, trying to comfort him. "Joe, you're okay. You're safe," he said soothingly.

"Son, are you okay?"

"No...We have to find him..." Joe replied breathlessly looking up at his father. "Dad, we have to find… Hayden. Before he…"

"Joe, take a deep breath, calm down." Frank instructed as he continued to rub his back to comfort him.

Joe's left leg started bouncing nervously up and down. Fenton knelt down, touching the side of Joe's face, talking to him calmly as they attempted to calm him down.

"Son, listen, to your brother. Take a breath and calm down." Fenton hated seeing his son like this. "I promise we will find Hayden."

He and Laura had noticed Joe had been quieter than usual since he'd gotten home. They knew their son enough to know that normally he was anything _but_ quiet. They were both aware of his anxiety issues though; dealing with Hayden and Henry, as well as his brother's upcoming departure was only adding to the strain he was under.

Fenton swore that there were nights he could hear Joe screaming from nightmares.

"I'm fine", or "everything's fine" were the vague answers both boys would give them when they'd ask if everything was okay each morning. Fenton suspected that there was something more going on with his youngest and that his elder brother was in on it. This would have to be a discussion he and Laura would have with their sons; that was a promise.

Fenton and Laura had also noticed that there was an undercurrent of tension between the brothers. They knew that their boys had had their share of disagreements with each other over the years; they'd always felt that it was best to let the boys work their issues out themselves. Given time they knew the boys always made up. After all, Fenton reasoned, the boys were both dealing with a lot at the moment; it was understandably that things were a bit tense.

After a few minutes, Joe's breathing was back to normal. "Does Henry know? Hayden doesn't know where he is right... Is he safe?"

"No, Henry doesn't know yet. For both his safety and yours both Con and Officer Baker will escort you all out to the farm; we're not taking any chances. Until Hayden is found, you are both not to leave their sight."

Fenton looked right at Joe as he said this. "Do you understand me?" Joe saw the seriousness on his father's face.

"Yes, Dad, I understand." Joe replied simply. "I have to help and protect Henry, and I will. I won't leave his side."

Frank just remained silent at Joe's comment; now was not the time to argue. Taking a deep breath he added, "Dad, there's something we need to tell you. It has to do with Nurse Matthews."

The brothers quickly filled him in on what they'd found out about Nurse Matthews. Fenton agreed to bring it up to Chief Collig and see what he had to say on the matter.

Fenton wanted to stay until he was sure Joe was all right. However, Frank reassured him that he would stay with Joe until Chet and his father came to pick him up. Fenton left for the station with confidence that Frank would take care of Joe.

Frank's stomach started churning as he realized his prediction had come true; something bad had happened. "Hayden was missing..."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

It was around noon by the time Joe arrived at the hospital with Chet and his father. The whole place was still on high alert as Hayden was still missing. The fire at the Bellevue hospital seemed a little suspicious to Joe. Had someone planned for this to happen or was it just coincidence? Either way, Joe knew neither he nor Frank believed in coincidences; his gut feeling was telling him that someone had helped Hayden disappear.

If so, then the question was, who had helped him? Was it Nurse Matthews, his brother, Ryan Hayden or maybe even Cindy Hayden? Then there was this Karen Marshall, who was she? How dangerous were these people? Without the details, Joe had more questions than actual answers.

Then a horrible thought entered his mind; the drive from Bellevue New York to Bayport was probably only a three to four and a half hour drive, if you didn't consider the potential traffic.

"Oh God, what if Hayden was already on his way to get his revenge? Joe was certain Hayden knew Henry would have to testify against him in the upcoming trial. He could feel his anxiety level already starting to rise, just thinking about it.

"Now stop it!" He silently berated himself. This wasn't the time to freak out, instead he needed to concentrate on keeping Henry safe. Suddenly he felt his temper began to flare up inside of him, a part of him was hoping to come face to face with the abusive teacher; he was itching to rip the man apart. Let him come for me, he'll be sorry! Joe was back and ready for a fight.

Joe focused his thoughts on Henry, the subject at hand. "I hope Henry likes the gifts we got for him?" Joe said holding up a black bag. They had stopped at a comic bookstore to pick up a few things for Henry.

"I am sure he will." Chet answered as they made their way to Henry's room.

"I'm sure Henry will be glad to leave the hospital as well." Charles Morton said to the teenagers. "Once we get him home he'll have a nice home cooked meal and a soft bed to sleep in. And let's not forget the welcome home party we've got planned." He chuckled lightly. "Hopefully, Henry will feel so welcome that he won't want to leave."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Chet mumbled under his breath. He was still a little unsure about this. With Frank's plan in the back of his mind, it was his job to keep an eye on Henry. By God for the sake of his family, he was going to do just that.

Officer Riley and Dr. Reese were already outside Henry's room waiting for the group when they arrived. "Hey, Joe. You're looking better then the last time I saw you." Con greeted the younger Hardy after greeting Chet and shaking hands with Mr. Morton. He was a little surprised that Frank wasn't here with Joe. He hoped everything was okay with them.

"Thank you, Con, I'm feeling much better now that my stitches are gone. Right now I'm just thrilled that Henry is getting out of here." Joe replied to the police officer before turning to Dr. Reese and asking, "How's Henry? Is he ready to go?"

"He's feeling a bit anxious, it's been like pulling teeth trying to convince him to get up and out of his bed," Dr. Reese replied. "It's understandable; there's a lot going on today."

"We have some things to give to him; is it okay for us to do that?"

"Yes, that would be perfectly fine. Go spend some time with him. I think your company is exactly what he needs right now." The doctor smiled. With that, the boys went in to see Henry.

(OOOOO)

"Hi, Henry can we come in?" Joe asked softly as he opened the door. Once again, Chet noticed the big grin on Henry's face as soon as he saw Joe.

"Please come in." Henry slowly sat up, hugging his arm to his side, as his ribs were still a little sore. He straightened his Spider-Man t-shirt, as he made sure his blankets covered his legs. Chet saw that the Spider-Man comic book he'd gotten Henry the other day was lying at the foot of the bed, his drawing of superhero Joe between the pages, marking his place.

Henry's eyes shifted over to Chet, the smile remaining on his face. "Hi."

"Hi, Henry, how are you?" Chet smiled back. "Aren't you excited you're finally getting out of the hospital?"

"Fine I guess."

The boys could see the faint bruising on his face, an ugly reminder of his father's abuse. They could also see he was a bit nervous.

"What do you mean you guess? You're staying at Chet's. Wait until you see this place, you are going to like it." Joe said with some enthusiasm as he and Chet entered the room and stood by his friend's bedside.

Henry turned to Chet and asked. "Are you sure you want me to stay at your place?"

"Hum, yeah, yes we do. We're happy to have you." Chet replied plastering a friendly grin on his face hoping to sound convincing. "My mom has your room all set up and everything."

"Oh, Chet, why don't you give him this?" Joe said, handing him the bag.

Chet handed Henry the bag. "What's this?" Henry asked puzzled.

"Well open it and find out."

Henry slowly unzipped the bag, his eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning when he saw what was inside. "This is all for me?" He pulled out a brand new black t-shirt with a red Spider-man symbol on it. There were also some sketch pads and drawling pencils and comic books. "Why, you already gave me the comic book."

"It's our way of welcoming you to our family as well as to show you that we care about you." Chet smiled. He was trying to be friends with him.

"Thank you." Henry replied, clutching the t-shirt tightly. He was very touched by this, he wanted to like Chet. He couldn't believe Chet and his parents would want him to stay with them. Why did they want him? He did not have anything to offer them. They really seemed to care about him. He had to admit he was feeling a little skeptical; he hoped this was not too good to be true.

"Well come on, Henry! Get up and get dressed! We have a party to go to and you're the guest of honor." Joe said excitedly.

"Okay." Henry said, got up out of his bed, and went to the bathroom to get dressed. He still felt nervous about what was going to happen next, but as long as he had Joe beside him, he was going to trust that everything would work out.

He was standing in front of the mirror looking at his reflection. Taking off his shirt, he glanced down at his bare chest, placing a hand on the bandage that encircled his torso. He twisted around to get a glimpse of his back in the mirror before righting himself once again. He hated his scrawny, scarred up body. It was time for him to make a change.

Henry couldn't help himself, thinking of Joe. Joe was perfect from his muscular six-foot frame to his short wavy blonde hair. Popular with the girls, hell, he was popular with everyone and everybody liked him. Joe was funny and outgoing and everything Henry wanted to be. He wanted to be like his hero.

He smiled inwardly. Then he ran his hand through his long and shaggy red hair. He knew just where to start. He ran a hand over the faded bruises on his face. His eyes darkened as he vowed, "I hate you Jack. I'll show you...I'm not your scared and pathetic son anymore. You won't lay your hands on me ever again. I'm going to make you regret ever doing so."

Henry stepped out of the bathroom dressed in his new Spider-man shirt and dark jeans. He was starting to feel like a new person already. "Before we head out to your place, Chet," Henry asked slowly. "Could we stop someplace first?"

"Hum, where's that?"

"To find a barbershop…please...if that's okay?"

"I don't know." Chet exchanged looks with Joe at Henry's request. Joe shrugged and answered turning back to his friend, "I'm sure it'd be okay although we'll have to run it by Officer Riley first."

"That's fine." Henry smiled at Joe. Chet suddenly felt uncomfortable with the starry-eyed look Henry was giving to Joe. What was up with that?

About an hour later, Joe, Chet, and Henry walked out of the hospital, accompanied by Con and Mr. Morton. Officer Baker, dressed in plain clothes pulled a black SUV up to the curb, at the same time as the group got there.

Con had reluctantly agreed to let Henry get his hair cut. His orders had been to take the teens out to the Morton farm, not stopping anywhere along the way. Chief Collig would have his hide if Con disobeyed another order; however, after the hell the kid had been through, Con didn't see the harm in granting the kid's simple request.

"There's a barbershop about a block from here. We'll make it a quick stop. Officer Baker will accompany you inside. You are not to leave his sight. Then we'll head out to the Morton farm." Con instructed as he opened the car door for the boys.

"Thank you." Henry said gratefully as he climbed into the back of the vehicle.

"Thank you, Con for doing this." Joe said as he climbed into the SUV beside Henry. Chet and his father were in the seat in front of them.

"Don't make me regret this." Con shut the door before getting into the front passenger seat.

(OOOOOO)

Two blocks away from the hospital, Hayden, Cindy and Carolyn were sitting in their car watching and planning how to get Henry back when they suddenly spot an SUV not far off from where they were parked, leaving with Henry in the back seat.

"They're leaving with Henry!" Cindy cried as they watched the SUV pull away. "We have to..."

"Shut up!" Jack Hayden shouted from the passenger seat. The man's face went to red to near purple with rage.

"I want my son now!" Cindy Hayden shouted.

"I told you to shut up!" Hayden bellowed as he reached back, belting the woman hard across the face. I don't have my baby brother because of that damn judge placing him under house arrest. Now, I have you three to work with, I'll get the boy back when the time is right. Understand me?"

"Y-yes." Cindy said holding her hand to her face. Shamefully, she turned away crying as she looked out the window.

"Carolyn, do you have it on you?" Jack inquired sharply. He shifted his dark eyes to the young woman sitting next to Cindy.

"I got it right here." Carolyn reached into her purse and pulled out a syringe. She saw Cindy turn back towards her, her eyes wide. "No need to worry, it's just a sedative; it won't kill him. It'll just make him fall asleep." Cindy relaxed, relieved to hear that. "It will make it easier to transport him."

"Good, Carolyn very good." Jack smiled coolly. "Daniel follow that SUV, but not too close." He ordered the young lawyer in the driver seat. "You see Cindy, as I promised I will get Henry back…My plan will work…we'll wait for the right time….when Henry is alone…that's when we'll grab him."

Cindy just looked at him and nodded tearfully.

Daniel Bartend shook his head nervously as he took off after the SUV. "I don't know about this Jack. This isn't what I agreed to when I took you on as my client. I'll work my ass off getting you off on an insanity defense, but I'm risking my career now, first helping you get out from the hospital... and now we're talking kidnapping. That's a federal offense you know."

"How do you feel about murder?" Jack replied coldly giving the young lawyer an icy stare. "I am not going to prison, you understand me, Danny boy? You _will_ see to that. As for Henry, I need to spend some quality time with my boy to make sure he doesn't testify against me."

"Okay, okay." Daniel huffed, adjusting his tie. "Then let's forget about the Hardy kid? Kidnapping your son is one thing, but... we're talking about Fenton Hardy's son. I have not officially met the detective, but I've heard he's very protective when it comes to his sons..."

"No!" Jack shouted. "You leave the Hardy kid to me. I have plans for him." He laughed sadistically. "They think I'm crazy? Well, they haven't seen anything yet."

(OOOOOOO)

The Morton Farm: later that afternoon

Frank and Callie got out of the van and stepped up to the Morton's front porch, where Ginger greeted them. "Hey Ginger, how you doing girl?" Callie crouched down to pet the black and white Border collie's head. The dog barked and licked her face.

Duke, a big German Shepherd with a black and tan body, was lying in his bed by the front door. Frank went to the dog when he suddenly jumped up, his tail wagging, startling the teenager.

"Duke, get down!" Mrs. Morton reprimanded the dog as she came out the front door. "Get down boy." She pulled the dog off and held him back. "I'm so sorry Frank; he's just excited, there's a lot going on today."

"Don't worry about it Mrs. Morton." Frank answered as he brushed the dirt off of his shirt. "Hey Duke." Then he leaned down to the dog, stroking the dog's head to show him there were no hard feelings. "You're in for a treat today, boy, with so many different people for you to greet."

"Yes that he is." Mrs. Morton agreed. "Come on inside." She held the door open and gave them each a friendly hug. It was obvious to Frank that Mrs. Morton was the older version of Iola, with her raven hair that she had pinned up on her head; she was petite like Iola, and she even had a big heart and sparkling personality. God if Henry ever hurt this woman, he'd have Frank to answer to.

With the dogs in tow, Frank and Callie followed the petite woman into the house, through the spacious living room and into the kitchen where they were hit with mouth-watering scent of food cooking. There they found Laura preparing a veggie platter.

Laura stopped what she was doing to greet her son and his girlfriend. "Hello Callie, how are you?" She asked, giving her a hug.

"I'm doing well, thank you, Mrs. Hardy." Callie replied politely.

"Hi, Mom." Frank greeted his mother with a hug. He couldn't explain it; there was something about being in his mother's arms that made him feel like a little kid; he wanted to cling to her and cry but he couldn't, the man inside of him was telling him to stay in control.

"Have you heard from your father?" Laura asked as she released her son and saw the worry in his eyes.

Frank shook his head. "Not since this morning." He replied keeping his voice strong.

Fenton had called Laura a few hours ago to let her know about the fire in Bellevue and Hayden's subsequent escape. He was planning on staying in the area to help in the search. He advised her to stay alert and to call him or the police if there were any signs of trouble. With Frank at the farm with the women, Fenton's mind could rest easy knowing that his eldest son would keep an eye on things.

"And Joe?" She asked in concern. She'd just about dropped everything to race home when Fenton had called her telling her about Joe's panic attack after being told had Hayden was missing. He'd reassured that Joe was fine and that Frank would stay with him until Chet and Charles got there to take him to the hospital in order to pick up Henry. Once they'd done that Con Riley as well as another police officer would bring them out to the farm.

"Joe's fine. In fact, he was in a very good mood when Chet and his dad picked him up. So hopefully he'll still be like that when they get here. I'm sure he will be once Biff gets here; I'm mean, there's a party going on today and the whole gang'll be here, it's right up their alley. The two of them will probably be competing with each other to be the center of attention."

"I just hope they don't get too carried away with Henry…" Frank stopped himself, just saying the kid's name left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Laura also knew her boys were still dealing with the aftermath of Hayden's abuse. The fact that her baby was having anxiety issues bothered Laura and the tension between her two boys definitely didn't go unnoticed. Especially, every time Henry's name came up. She wasn't sure what that was all about, but she was damn sure she was going to find out.

"Wow, everything smells wonderful in here," Callie broke into Laura's thoughts. "Is there anything we can help you with?

""Thank you Callie, but everything's just about ready." Mrs. Morton was at the sink filling the dogs' bowls with water. She placed them on the floor before standing back up. "Let's all go out to the barn, everything's set up there." She gestured at the bowls now at her feet. "This'll keep the dogs busy for a while."

The barn's sliding doors were open, leading out to a patio, and outdoor grill. There were two 10 foot tables pushed together in order to accommodate a large dinner party. Red and white checkered napkins were set at each table setting.

"It looks so beautiful." Callie gushed before asking her boyfriend's opinion. "Frank, what do you think?"

"Hum, yes everything looks great." Frank answered hoping to sound upbeat.

"I just want everything to be perfect for Henry." Donna said, wiping her hands on her apron.

"You have done an amazing job already." Laura smiled. "Henry is a lucky young man to be getting all of this attention."

"I hope Fenton and the police find Hayden soon."

"We all do, Donna, believe me, we all do."

"That man doesn't deserve to be a father. He lost the right when he hurt that poor boy." Donna said plainly. "From what I gather, his mother isn't any better. How could she allow her son to be treated that way?"

"I've only known Henry for a short time, he seems like such a sweet boy under all that hurt, all he needs is a little bit of TLC. We can give that to him. She wiped the few leaking tears from her eyes with the corner of her apron. "Iola will always be my daughter as well as my guardian angel. Chet is my world. I can't help but feel like Henry is the missing piece of my family."

Frank exchanged looks with his mother. "Donna, I pray that everything works out for you and your family." Laura began gently. She was hoping that the woman would listen to her advice, and jump the gun a bit. Laura was trying hard to be supportive of her friend; after all, fostering a child was an incredible thing. However, with the particular child they were talking about she had to admit to herself that she was having reservations about this whole thing.

"If Henry is meant to be a part of your family, then it'll happen." Laura added treading carefully on the topic. "You've been through a terrible loss with Iola; losing a child is the worse kind of pain a mother can experience. I just don't want you to get your hopes up."

She squeezed her friend's hand gently. "Henry may seem like a sweet boy, but please keep in mind that he's a very troubled young man. It all depends on what he wants. Keep in mind, also that we don't know what's going on with his mother either. Mrs. Hayden may not give up her son willingly."

"I promise you, Laura, I am not being naïve about this. I'm aware that the boy is dealing with many issues. Dr. Reese is going to be coming out here to continue Henry's therapy." Donna said. "If making Henry a part of our family is a long process, then Charles, Chet and I are willing to do it. We want Henry to be a part of our family."

Frank was stunned; he really didn't know what to think anymore. "Frank and I would like to take a walk before everyone gets here." Callie slipped her hand into Frank's. She could sense that he needed to get away for a bit.

"That's perfectly fine. You kids go ahead. Once Mr. Morton gets here I'll have him start grilling the burgers." Donna Morton said looking at her watch. "I need to go get the rest of the food."

"I'll help you." Laura offered. She prayed that the authorities would find Hayden soon. She prayed that with Fenton adding himself to the search that the nightmare would be over soon. On that thought she followed Donna back into the house.


	32. Chapter 32

**Here it is the conclusion of Pressure. And as promise the Frank and Callie moment everyone has been waiting for hopefully you'll forgive me when you get to the ending...I should mention in my defense that I promise i do like animals. Trust me when I say you're going to hate Hayden even more. Hopefully a new story for you soon, right now it's a work in process.**

 **A very special Thank you to Tinee Dancer, nancy drew 11 , John Quest, Highflyer, nicolelylewis, Cherylann Rivers for reviewing my last chapter and for those who are reading and Following and Favorites. Also, want to give a big thank you to elven buddy for helping me beta read my story. You are awesome!**

Pressure chapter 32

"Frank, is everything alright?" Callie asked her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Frank plastered a smile on his face as he took her hand in his.

They were sitting under the huge oak tree overlooking the pond on the Morton farm. In the distance, they could hear Millie neighing in the stable. This was Frank's favorite spot, it was quiet, and relaxing; the perfect place to think. He looked up at the blue sky and felt a gentle breeze on his face and warmth of the sun. Summer would soon be here. That meant changes were coming, starting with graduation, which was only a week away.

His parents had been ecstatic when he'd finally told them about Princeton. His mother of course, started to cry tears of both joy and sadness, hugging him all the while. Fenton had shed a few tears himself, he hugged and congratulated him; saying how proud of him, he was. Just hearing his father say he was proud of him meant the world to him.

Frank called his Aunt Gertrude and told her the good news. She was coming home for his graduation, wanting to make her eldest nephew's favorite food in order to celebrate this latest milestone.

He was looking forward to spending time this summer with each of his loved ones before leaving for Princeton in August. He hoped that when that time came he would have the courage to find the words to tell them all how much he loved them. Each one of them had played a big role in his life, loving him and encouraging him to be the person he was today. He'd carry them all in his heart once he'd left.

The hardest part would be saying goodbye to them, especially Joe and Callie. Just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes.

"No you're not. It's just; you've barely said two words on our way out here. You said a brief hello to my parents before telling me about Princeton, that's about it." Callie looked deep into her boyfriend's eyes, he couldn't hide the worry in them. "I can tell something is bothering you."

"I'm sorry; I just have a lot on my mind right now." He apologized.

"I know Hayden did some horrible things to you and Joe. If you need to talk about it," she offered, "I'm here. Please let me help you."

Frank looked out across the farm as he thought about this; everyone would be arriving for the party soon. He wished he could be anywhere else but here, he wanted to be happy though he just couldn't be right now.

He had so much going on inside of him, he felt as though he were going to explode. He thought back to the conversation he'd had with Joe, focusing mainly on him learning to share his feelings. He'd managed to open up to his brother and father so that was a step forward at least.

" _It's different with Callie, though. Crying just seems so...personal. I don't know if I can do that." He shrugged. "I don't know if I could talk to her about what happened last night. I'm not sure where Callie and I are in our relationship. How is this new, upcoming chapter going to affect us? Will the fact that we're going to be at different colleges change us?"_

 _Joe had tried to reassure his brother. "Isn't it better you find that out now, before things change? At least that way you'll know where you guys stand."_

Opening up to Callie like this would be a huge step in their relationship. It was now or never, Frank decided, he had to tell Callie how he felt about her. He turned back to Callie kissed her hand. He needed only her right now. "Okay, I do need to get some things off my chest."

Callie smiled inwardly. She was just happy that her boyfriend felt comfortable enough to open up to her in regards to his feelings. She knew that was something that was very difficult for him to do and the fact that he was putting his trust in her meant a lot to her. She'd never pushed him to talk to her, that was his decision to make and it had to be on his terms, nobody else's. She wanted to be whatever he needed, whether that was a sounding board, a shoulder to cry on, or a person who'd just hold him, giving him a sense of security.

Callie gave his hand a light squeeze. "Go ahead."

"I hope for Hayden's sake he is found… dead, because if I ever come face to face with the guy…I'll kill him." Callie's eyes widened at Frank's words though she said nothing, only sitting beside him and letting him vent.

"He hurt my brother, Callie…" His voice was heavy with emotion. "You should see him. Joe's dealing with so much crap, it's causing him to have anxiety issues. It's gotten so bad that he's started to have nightmares! He had a freaking panic attack this morning when Dad told us Hayden was missing! I hate seeing Joe like that! I want my brother back!" He turned away from her, taking a second to look out over the pond, in order to recollect his thoughts.

"As for Henry, I don't trust him and I don't want him around my brother. I cannot believe Mrs. Morton is actually thinking of making Henry a part of her family. She has no idea what she's getting into. I know Chet doesn't like it."

"Yeah, you told me about the superhero thing…It does sound creepy." Callie had to agree.

He shook his head adamantly. "I can't do it Cal, not now. I can't leave Bayport."

"You can't be serious." Callie voiced her concern. "You're going to give up Princeton?"

Frank took a breath to help himself calm down. "I've been thinking long and hard about this. Bayport University is a good school and it's closer to home."

"It's closer to Joe." Callie added. "That's what you're really saying."

"And you." He admitted, "We can go to college together like we planned." He turned back to look at her, the worry in his eyes clear for Callie to see.

"I think that maybe Joe isn't the only one dealing with some anxiety issues. Frank, what about you? What about what Hayden almost did to you with...that belt." Callie brought up tentatively.

"I know you have a very strong connection with Joe and I respect your relationship with him. Please, don't get me wrong, I like Joe I really do. He can be funny, he likes to be independent, and adventurous those are the qualities I like in a person. I'm proud of him for taking a stand in order to protect Henry, both from the bullies at school and Hayden."

"I'm just going to list a few things that I really don't like about Joe." She spoke bluntly, because Frank needed to hear this. "One thing is when he tries to downplay just how intelligent he is. Joe is a very smart person and would have a lot of potential if only he used the right way. He could get into a college like Princeton without any problem; but I don't think that Joe thinks of himself as smart."

"And another thing I don't like is his disregard of your feelings like when he's rushing into a situation without thinking of his own safety and yours. I think he takes advantage of you, Frank; because he knows you're always going to be there to clean up his mess." She knew she was being forward but she was trying to make her point, "The worst part is that you let him."

"I think you need to get away. Take some time for yourself."

Frank shrugged. "What can I say, you're right." Frank agreed. "Joe is smart. His problem is that he lets his insecurities get in the way. Maybe once I'm away, it will give him a chance to shine."

"The only reason I'm here is to support Chet and his parents and of course for Joe." He sighed heavily. "I'm scared, Callie. I'm scared that the issues with Princeton and Henry will break my bond with Joe. I don't know how to fix this; if I leave with the way things are now, they're only going to get worse." He balled his hands into fists as he felt hot tears start to trickle down his face. He bit his lip to try and ease their flow.

"How did Joe take the news, when you told him about Princeton?"

"He says he's happy for me and is being, or trying to be, supportive of it all." Frank answered simply. "But I know him. I know he's hurting, Callie...because I can feel it." He rubbed a hand over his chest, where his heart was as he felt an ache. "It's got to be tearing him up inside."

"The hard part for me, I know, will be separating myself from Joe; I've never known my life without him in it, I've never taken the time to figure out who I am; the kind of man I want to be. My biggest challenge will be learning to let go and trusting that Joe'll be okay on his own."

"What's going to happen when I leave? I can't stop thinking that something bad will happen to my brother and I won't be here to put a stop to whatever it is." He continued, anger coloring his voice. "Hayden is still out there somewhere; I've been through this enough times to know that, it's never a good thing when the bad guys go missing."

"My guess is that Hayden's making his way back to Bayport to kill Henry and Joe. When we were both in Hayden's clutches...I would've let him beat the hell out of me if it meant that Joe wouldn't be touched." His voice cracked. "I...I'd do anything for Joe." He looked down at Callie as tears rolled down his face. "I should've protected him from the beginning. However, I didn't do my job. I failed… to protect my little brother. I failed... "

Then he suddenly realized what he was doing and felt the heat of embarrassment spreading across his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I feel like an idiot, crying like this." Frank started the tears from his eyes. "It's not very manly, is it?"

"Don't you ever apologize for crying in front of me; you can't help how you feel." Callie stopped him, framing his face with her hands, she wiped the tears away.

"You know, you're not the only one going through changes." Callie continued. "I'm going through the same thing you are; figuring out who I am and what kind of woman I want to be. I want to be a strong independent person; to do that I need to stand on my own two feet without my parents' help. It's both scary and exciting at the same time, but it's still a good thing."

"So you're okay with me going to Princeton?"

"I'll admit I was stunned when you told me." Callie said. "It'll be hard being away from each other. But, we'll keep in touch, it'll be another reason for you to come home and I'll have a reason to visit you. I would love for us to go to college together, but it's not going to happen. I'm going to Bayport University. Princeton is an opportunity of a lifetime, Frank. If you pass that up, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"I'm confident that we can make our relationship work, Frank, regardless of the distance. That is, if that's what you want as well. Maybe it'll be good for us to be separated for a bit; after all we're both going to be experiencing new things. We can share those experiences with each other and use them to strengthen our relationship."

"Yes of course, I want our relationship to work. Callie, you've been so supportive throughout this Hayden nightmare. Your show of concern for Joe has really meant a lot to me. I've made a pretty good decision already in my life, Callie, and that's you. You make me happy. I can't see myself with anyone else. In fact, I'm done dating and looking around at other people; you're the only one I want." he continued, "You're so beautiful, smart, and funny." Frank smiled, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you…someday."

Frank felt his heart flip at his words. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Callie had tears in her eyes as she smiled up at her boyfriend, sighing with happiness as he wrapped her in his arms. It felt like a dream, but no it was real; she was in the arms of the man she loved.

She loved everything about him. He was her best friend and she was his. He was tall, dark, and handsome and there was a protectiveness about him that made her feel safe. She could already tell he was going to make a great father… someday.

Frank had this old-fashioned quality about him that she found quite attractive. He was the kind of man who treated women with respect by being chivalrous but also held them to a standard. He wasn't the kind of man who threw himself at women or treated them like they were possessions. He thought of her as his equal, someone who was smart and kind to a fault. He was her voice of reason.

They might have been two high school seniors, young and in love, but soon they'd be entering a new phase of their lives. Callie knew however, that she was done searching; she'd found the man she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Frank Hardy was the man she wanted to marry...someday. "Do you want to know a secret?" she whispered to him.

Releasing his hold on Callie, Frank framed her face with his hands. Gently wiping her tears away with his thumbs, he traced the shape of her cheek, making his way down to her soft lips. "What is it?"

"Most women like their men to be open and confident about whom they are. Their men don't need to look and act tough all the time." She continued, adding a seductive note to her voice. "In fact, I think it's kind of sexy when a guy expresses his feelings."

"Really?" He answered softly, gazing into her eyes. "That's good to know." His mind, full of troubled thoughts just moments ago, was now buzzing with happiness and anticipation.

She gazed up at him, losing herself in his brown eyes. He watched her eyelids flutter, then close. Her heart was beating so fast she couldn't get a decent breath. She felt his breath on her cheek. Then their lips met.

When his warm lips met hers, she returned his kiss passionately, and smiled at him when he pulled his head back. "Wow, I'm kissing a Princeton man."

Frank held her close for a moment and then planted a kiss on her forehead. Resting his chin on top of her head, Frank looked out across the field and smiled. He'd never felt so free, he'd taken a big step forward when he'd decided to share his feelings with Callie. At least one part of his life finally seemed to be going in the right direction, now if only he could fix everything else. That would be the icing on top of the metaphorical cake.

Just then, the sound of Duke barking grabbed their attention. They looked up in time to see several cars pulling into the Morton's driveway and up to the house. "And so, the party begins. God, please help me get through this."

(OOOOOO)

Laura and Donna came out of the house to greet the crowd. Both dogs were at their heels barking and wagging their tails with excitement. Chet and his father climbed out of the SUV, along with Joe, Henry, Con, and Officer Baker. Climbing out of the second vehicle were Tony, Biff, and Phil, along with a tall sandy-blond haired guy who resembled Phil.

Henry hung back, staying quiet, unsure of the whole situation. "What is all this?" He whispered to Joe.

"It's a welcome home party for you." Joe replied.

"Why? I don't deserve it, especially after the way I treated them."

"Everyone deserves a second chance, including you, Henry. My friends are willing to give you that, and by the way, they're you're friends too." Joe put an arm around the younger teen. "Chet and his parents are good people and will treat you right. They're like my second family; Frank and I had some awesome summers here during our childhood."

"Just give them a chance okay?"

"Okay, I'll try." Henry said shyly while giving the group a small wave hello. He was still unsure but for Joe he would try.

"What did he do?" Biff's eyes widened as he got his first glimpse of Henry; Tony and Phil weren't sure what to make of the blond hair either.

Phil made a quick decision that a distraction was needed and quick as he sensed the mounting tension. "This is my cousin, Seth." Phil said, making the introductions all around.

"It's nice to meet everyone." Seth made the rounds, shaking hands with everyone, pausing when he reached Henry. "You must be Henry; Phil's told me so much about you. I look forward to getting to know you better."

Henry glanced down at the outstretched hand with hesitation; glancing over at Joe, Henry tilted his head, a question in his eyes. Joe nodded back at him before looking back at Seth, who was waiting patiently. "It's nice to meet you too," he replied to Seth, trusting Joe wholeheartedly.

Suddenly Duke started barking, reminding everyone about his presence as he took a leap and jumped onto Henry, startling the teen.

"Duke, get down!" Mr. Morton reprimanded the dog.

"Get down boy." Chet pulled the dog off of the younger boy and kept a tight hold on the dog's collar. "I'm so sorry Henry. Duke is just very excited. "

"It's okay." Henry answered softly as he brushed the dirt off of his t-shirt.

"Chet, take Duke into the house." Mrs. Morton instructed her son. "As for everyone else, let's head over to the barn. We have plenty of food, so let's go eat!" Chet did as his mom had asked, heading one way with the dog as the rest of the group trooped down to the barn.

It was at that point that Frank and Callie joined their friends. Frank's jaw dropped off when he got his first glimpse of Henry's new haircut. "What the hell?"

Callie saw the color drain out of his face. "Frank?"

"Callie, would you go down to the barn with everyone else?" Frank asked simply. He was doing all he could not to lose it. He took a deep breath and held it, before releasing it, striving to stay calm. "I need to have a word with my brother."

Callie just nodded okay.

"Frank, Henry wanted to get his hair cut...I had no idea that's what he had in mind," Con told the elder brother before he and Officer Baker left him alone. "Don't be too long."

"Joe, wait up." Joe heard his brother call him.

"Here it comes." Joe huffed. He'd known the minute he saw Henry's hair that Frank would have a cow when he saw it. And unfortunately for Joe, he had no explanation to give his brother. "I'd better get this over with." He could see the hesitation written all over Henry's face. "Go on Henry, I'll be right there. I need to talk to my brother for a second."

Henry hesitated again. Chet came back out and joined the brothers, sensing Frank's need to speak privately to his younger brother. "Come on Henry, let's go eat." Finally, Henry gave in and let Chet guide him towards the barn. Biff wanted to stay and find out what Henry's new hair was about but in the end, decided to get the scoop from Chet and let the brothers be.

As soon as they were alone Frank stabbed a finger in Henry's direction, "What the hell was that?" Frank demanded.

"What… you knew about the shirt…." Joe started to say.

"I'm not talking about the shirt!" Frank swallowed back the anger. "What's with Henry's blonde hair?"

Joe could feel his temper rising; Frank was really starting to push his buttons, Joe thought. Sighing deeply Joe answered," Can't we talk about this later? There's a party going on; let's just forget about this for now and have fun."

"No we're talking about this now." Frank shot back. "This can't be normal...he's obsessed with you Joe. It's almost like-he's trying to be you?"

"Now that's crazy!" Joe argued. "And as usual you're blowing this way out of proportion. It's just a haircut! Just like the drawing is just that- a drawing!" He couldn't hold back anymore. "Don't you get it Frank?"

"He's just trying to fit in, he wants to be friends with everyone. Maybe he's going at it a little too much with the blonde hair...but he's trying. You know what? I can't do this right now. I love you and all but I'm going to leave before I say something I'll regret." Joe turned and started to walk away.

"Maybe, you should do the same….try to be friends with him."

"I can't. The blonde hair was the last straw. I'm done with him." Frank said firmly, folding his arms to his chest.

"You can't go off by yourself." Frank reminded him.

"Can't you leave me alone?" Joe whirled around, his anger clear on his face. "I need some time to cool off, I'll be fine." He whirled back around, heading in the opposite direction, kicking a small pebble out of his path.

I love you too, little brother, Frank thought sadly. Suddenly, he was not in the mood for a party. He didn't think he could sit around a table, having a good time, with Henry sitting not so far away. So instead, he headed back to the oak tree planning to do nothing but sit, cool off and think.

(OOOOOO)

After taking a breath to calm himself down, Joe slowed his pace while stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. "God, everything is in such a mess." He thought sadly. Glancing up at where he was going, Joe found himself heading in the direction of the stable. Millie must've been restless if she was making so much noise he could hear her from where he currently was.

Millie had been Iola's horse, how she'd loved the animal! Most sixteen year olds wanted a car for their birthday, but Iola had wanted Millie, Joe remembered the moment his girlfriend had showed her horse off with fondness. As Joe stepped into the stable, Millie poked her head out of her stall briefly as if to greet him.

"Hey, girl, what's wrong?" He asked as he stroked her nose. Jerking away suddenly, Millie began to seem agitated.

"What's wrong, Millie?" Something was obviously wrong; Joe slowly opened her stall door, stepping inside. "OH MY GOD!" His heart stopped as his face paled; there, lying in the hay, covered in blood, was Duke. And crouching beside the obviously dead dog, was Hayden, a bloody knife in his clenched fist.

"Hello Joseph." The teacher greeted coldly, giving the younger Hardy an icy stare.

"Hayden." Joe said breathlessly. His heart was beating so fast he thought it would burst from his chest at any moment. "Oh my God…Henry…I have to…" Feeling a sharp prick on the side of his neck, Joe fell to the ground as everything faded to darkness.

(OOOOOO)

After taking an hour or so to cool off, Frank made his way back to the barn, finding everyone sitting around the table eating and talking and generally having a good time.

Laura saw him and immediately got up and hurried over. "Frank, where's Joe?" she asked anxiously.

"Isn't he here?"

"No."

"We got into a bit of an argument," Frank glanced over at Henry before turning back to his mother. "He must still be angry with me."

"You know he can't go off by himself."

"He was heading towards the stable, he's probably still there if that's where he went."

"Hey, I can't find Duke." Chet announced as he hurried into the barn. "I went up to the house to check on him and the back door was wide open."

Alarm bells started to go off in Frank's head. Frank glanced over at Con as the police officer rose from where he'd been sitting at the table. "Everyone stay here. Baker, call the Chief."

"Yes sir!'

"I'm calling Fenton." Laura reached for her phone, doing her best not to panic, wanting to stay in control for everyone else's sake. "Frank, go find Joe!"

Without a second thought, Frank took off running towards the stable, with Con not far behind him. Horrible thoughts ran through his mind, not knowing what was happening to his brother. "Oh God let him be okay." Each step they ran seemed like an eternity.

Finally they reached the stable where they could hear Millie causing a ruckus in her stall. Bursting through the door Frank exclaimed, "OH MY GOD!" He stopped in shock, Con practically bumping into him; there at their feet lay Duke, covered in blood. It was obvious to them both that the dog was dead.

And there was Hayden, standing next to the dog, gripping a knife, dripping blood. "Put the knife down, now!" Con ordered, aiming his gun that he'd pulled out of its holster at Hayden's head.

Dropping the knife, Hayden made a dash for it, trying to escape. He was quickly brought to the floor though, having been tackled by Frank who'd anticipated the move.

"Where's my brother?" Frank hissed at the man.

"I don't know." Hayden panted as he stared up at Frank, a grin on his face.

"You son of a bitch! What have you done to my brother?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying. Tell me where he is...or I'll crush your windpipe." Frank snarled, giving the man an icy stare as his hands gripped Hayden's throaty tightly. "Where's my brother!?"

"Frank! Stop!" Con pulled the elder Hardy boy off the teacher. "You don't want to do this."

"Go ahead, kill me." Hayden taunted him. "It's what I would do. You're just like me."

It was at that point that reinforcements in the form of Chief Collig, Sam, and Fenton arrived with numerous other officers. "Frank!" Fenton exclaimed in surprise, prying his son off of Hayden.

Finally Frank let go, keeping his gaze locked on Hayden. Together, Con Riley and Officer Baker hauled the teacher to his feet, pinning him against the stable wall.

This time Hayden stood face to face with Fenton. "Where's my son?!" Fenton demanded, narrowing his eyes and giving the man a death-glare. It was taking every last bit of the strength he had to stay in control and not kill the man himself; finding Joe was his main priority, every second counted.

"I don't know." Hayden said firmly.

"Riley! Take him to the station! Maybe he'll feel like talking there." Chief Collig ordered. "Then I want a full scale search for Joe started."

"Yes sir!" Con slapped a pair of handcuffs on Hayden's wrists before walking Hayden out to the waiting police car, trailed by Fenton and Frank. The crowd watched as Hayden was deposited into the back of the car, all wondering the same thing: where was Joe?

Sam and Charles Morton as well as all Frank and Joe's friends eagerly volunteered to help in the search for Joe. The more people looking, the faster they hoped he'd be found, after all. Callie stayed with the other women, helping them to clean up; she wanted to stay nearby in case they needed her, they were both upset, understandably so.

Feeling guilty, Henry hung back, unsure of what to do now. All he knew was that Joe was missing and it was his fault, everyone must hate him now.

Tire tracks were found on the far side of the stable. The road at the back of the property, not too far from the stable led to the highway. The Mortons discovered that the lock on their back door had been hacked off, and inside the kitchen a large knife had been taken, presumably used to kill Duke. Hamburger meat was missing from the fridge; they suspected it had been used to lure the dog from the house.

Frank and his father were in the stable searching for clues. "We have to find him Dad, before it's too late. Joe and I had an argument, I have to apologize...I have to make things right..." The elder brother's voice cracked as he confessed to his father, letting the tears fall as he gave into his emotions.

Fenton Hardy put his arms around his son, who practically fell into his arms crying. When Frank mastered himself, he released him and instead laid a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find him Frank."

Frank nodded, not replying as his eyes continued to scan the room. Suddenly, Frank spotted something on the ground. Picking it up, his heart skipped a beat; it was Joe's leather wallet.

"Frank."

"It's Joe," he showed his father.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Frank answered as he scanned the wallet's contents. "His credit cards and cash are still inside. Which means..."

"Which means Joe left it behind to indicate he was here," Fenton finished for his son. Anxiously, they finished searching the room, not finding anything else.

"I will find you, Joe." Frank vowed. "I promise I will find you."

 **to be continue...Aftermath**


End file.
